


If I Burn

by Kat_Herondale



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Deaf Clint Barton, F/F, F/M, M/M, Not super dark, Time Travel, Ultron Wins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-05-07 12:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5456369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Herondale/pseuds/Kat_Herondale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Ultron had won. The human race was dead. Their planet had gone up in flames, charred beyond recognition. All of the buildings were gone. There were now tangles of steel that the remaining animals used to hide. Maybe, if Natasha was optimistic, there were people hiding down there as well. But she doubted they had any sort of humanity left. They weren't human anymore. None of them were. Earth's Mightiest Heroes had failed everyone."</p><p>A post-apocalyptic au where Ultron is actually a major threat and defeated the Avengers. Due to this, Tony decides to take matters in his own hands with the remaining technology they have left. He wanted to save his teammates, so he sent them to the safest place possible. 1946. That's where Peggy Carter came in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so if you've read my fanfics before you've probably noticed that I'm time travel and steggy trash. I've been working on several different versions of this fanfic for months now so I figured I'd post the first part before I get too emotionally invested in this fanfic. So yeah, I hope there's some level of improvement between this and my other fanfics. If you guys notice any errors please let me know! Thank you so much for reading this! It means the world to me!

Ultron had won. The human race was dead.

Their planet had gone up in flames, charred beyond recognition. All of the buildings were gone. They were now tangles of steel that the remaining animals used to hide. Maybe, if Natasha was optimistic, there were people hiding down there as well. But she doubted they had any sort of humanity left. They weren't human anymore. None of them were.

Earth's Mightiest Heroes had failed everyone.

Natasha's legs dangled off the edge of their escape craft. There were families inside. Children were crying. Natasha was being forced to take a break. She supposed she understood Steve's sentiment of him wanting her to sleep. She wished Steve would understand that she would never be able to unsee the destruction Ultron had caused and Natasha hadn't been able to prevent. This was so much worse than anything Natasha had done while still in the Red Room.

She couldn't get the noises and images out of her head. Pietro had died a human shield to save her Hawkeye. Sam and James were somewhere in America when the world had been destroyed. They hadn't even had a chance to defend themselves. She wasn't even sure what had happened to Bruce. There were rumors that he had taken off in one of Tony's untraceable ships or that Ultron had captured the Hulk. She remembered Wanda's howling sobs as Natasha rushed her onto the ship. She wondered what would have happened if they let Tony activate the Vision—There was a slight rustle next to Natasha that snapped her out of her thoughts. She spun to the side, expecting it to be Ultron. They were hiding from him now. The Avengers were too weak to face him.

Clint was there, a worried furrow was evident in his brow. He scanned Natasha and seemed to be trying to approach the subject they had avoided for the three weeks after the city fell.

She looked to his lips. She fully expected him to start speaking, trying to shout over the loud winds. But, instead, he began signing. He made two thumbs up that pointed to his chest. He folded them over so the thumbs pointed at her. He crossed his pointer and middle finger and brought those outwards from his lips. He then pointed at her.  _How are you?_

She shook her head. She didn't want to communicate. There was nothing she had to say or sign. She just wanted to stare at the sea below them. Clint understood her need. He wrapped his arm around her. Natasha leaned into his chest. She allowed herself a moment of undeserved comfort. She was selfish.

Then the ships alarms started screaming. Ultron had found them.

 

 

 

Agent Carter's eyes snapped open and she shot off the bed. She frantically reached out and flipped on the lamp. She was growing tired of these frequent nightmares. Each night they grew worse. She was afraid that one of these times she would knock something over in her fright and wake Angie.

She threw on her robe and slippers and silently trudged past Angie's room. Tonight was Angie's first night on Broadway. Peggy couldn't ruin Angie's beauty sleep. If Angie was cranky while on stage, there would be no way she could score a role larger than a minor character. Her entire career was on the line. Peggy didn't want to be the one to ruin Angie's chances.

So that's why for these last three weeks, Peggy suffered alone. She had pulled out the entirely too strong coffee recipe Bucky had made for Steve during the war, it was the only thing keeping her going. By the time she made it to the kitchen, her friend would be waking soon. So, she softy turned on the hums of jazz music and tried to make Angie and herself breakfast. So far, Angie hadn't asked why there were spectacularly large, burnt breakfasts waiting for her every morning for the past three weeks.

Angie always woke up at seven am, stayed with Peggy for an hour and then the two parted ways for their respective jobs after that. So that's why Peggy was concerned when Angie slipped in the kitchen at five.

"'morning, English," Angie murmured as she rested her head against the table.

Peggy should have simply asked Angie what was wrong. She shouldn't have left the eggs on the stove as she went over to inspect her ragged friend. But that's what she did.

Together they spent the morning putting out the fire and laughing as they were cleaning up the kitchen

Peggy had called in a favor that allowed her to spend the morning with Angie. They weren't dating. Peggy doubted Angie wasn't interested in girls anyways, so she kept quiet about her feelings. Besides, she felt it wasn't fair to Steve to fall in love so easily again. Angie was happily living her life. Peggy wouldn't ruin that.

 

 

The office was nearly empty. Sousa and a new agent, who had only started working there months prior, sat together eating their sandwiches. They didn't talk to each other. Peggy figured they both just didn't want to eat lunch alone. Ever since Sousa had been assigned as the new chief, Thompson had gotten upset. It caused a separation between the office that made Peggy uneasy.

Sousa grinned happily as he saw her. He even waved a little bit. Peggy smiled in response. She walked past them and made a beeline to her desk pilled with files. She opened one up and began her work. After the frantic spring with Howard Stark's weapons being sold illegally, their summer and now it seemed fall as well, were quite peaceful. It set Peggy on edge. However, no one else seemed to worry. But that had left everyone filing and reorganizing the SSR files. There had never been a lost file once Sousa started. That was why Thompson was being such a jerk to Sousa. He didn't want to have the same duties as Peggy.

She could never manage to lose herself in the task like other agents were able to do. She had honed her instincts to well for her to be able to zone out. She didn't even flinch when the phone at her desk started ringing. She was faintly aware of Agent Lockster dropping his sandwich. She ignored him and answered the phone. She wasn't surprised to hear Jarvis speaking with a rambling Howard Stark in the background.

"Agent Carter," Jarvis said. "We require your assistance.  _Please._ "

Peggy sighed and Jarvis plowed through the silence. "There's been a strange energy spike in Central Park." Howard was shouting something in the background. Peggy couldn't make it out.

"And this concerns me how?" Peggy snapped. Sousa was staring at her. There was a rule about making personal phone calls at work.

"Pegs," Howard said, grabbing the phone. "It's the same energy readings as the Teseract. I'm looking for Steve right now. I really need you to check it out. Make sure it's not anything Hydra related."

Peggy sighed again. She glanced up and Sousa and frowned. She could use Angie as an excuse. She would say Angie injured herself on stage. Daniel seemed skeptical. 

 

 

Peggy wouldn't have predicted the rain before she left the office. It was pouring at Central Park. The rain left Peggy wishing she had grabbed an umbrella before she left. She was certain her makeup was smearing across her face. She would be a mess if she made it back to the office. She was glad Sousa liked her. No one else would have gotten away with leaving the office like she had today. She nearly felt bad. This wasn't like her. She hadn't taken sick days before. Hell, she had enough sick days to last a month if she wanted. She'd been saving them up to join Howard with his search for Steve.

The clicking of her heels was drowned out by the rain. Nobody else had decided to visit Central Park today. That alone was enough to set off warning bells. She had her hand wrapped around the gun in her purse. She was ready to shoot the first person that surprised her. She scanned the area and tried to remain casual. She was just going for a walk. That was all.

A twig snapped. Peggy spun around. For a moment, she didn't see anything under than brush. Then there was a little bit of black leather and purple that caught Peggy's eye. She did another quick scan around the park to make sure no one else was around and then approached the bush. Before she could get too close, a man's head popped out of the brush. His hair was shaggy and unkempt. However his eyes were sharp in a way that suggests he had served.

In an instant the man spotted her. He frowned, squinted, and his jaw dropped open. He then proceeded to softly swear. For some reason, Peggy didn't draw her gun on him. She needed information and sometimes kindness was the only way to get it. His hands moved quickly in some sort of gesture. Was that sign language?   
  
"Are you alright?" Peggy asked, she changed her accent to something more American. The British accent was too noticeable when she was supposed to be doing something while not attracting attention.

The man's mouth opened and closed. He looked shocked. Peggy cast a glance over her shoulder and then focused on him. She moved a little closer. The man stayed where he was. His large arm muscles twitched.

"What's your name? Where did you serve?" Peggy questioned in a sweet voice.

He looked bewildered. He almost glanced backwards but seemed to think better of it. There was a slight glimmer over his shoulder. Peggy figured it must be the sun glinting off the pond. He played with something in his hand.

"Um... Clint Barton?" He seemed almost unsure of his name. His face paled and he swallowed down bile.

There was a small voice in the back of Peggy's head telling her to just go back to work and not worry about the strange, harmless man. Peggy ignored it.

There was that glimmer again. "Mr. Barton. Please stand up and place both hands in the air."

"I didn't do anything!" Clint nearly shouted. He didn't comment on how Peggy wasn't authorized to make arrests or that she was a woman. She nearly liked him. However, he still didn't move.

Peggy pulled out her gun and aimed it at him. She sighed and waited. She tapped her heel. She didn't have all day. "There was Tesseract quality energy readings. I'm required to take you in for questioning."

Clint didn't call her on the bluff. Instead, he paled. He knew what the Tesseract was. That was classified information. Peggy could legally arrest him now and bring him to meet Howard. She was certain Howard would fly back for this. Then she could turn Mr. Barton over to Howard and return to her work.

"What do I do?" Clint questioned the air. For a moment, Peggy thought he was talking to himself. And then, like a hot day where heat rolled off the cars was what it looked like behind the man. Suddenly, three people appeared behind him. There was a bombshell woman with fiery red hair and a gun in her hand, a woman with smudged eye makeup and dark hair, and a large man who ducked his head before Peggy could make out his face. The man had a shield strapped to his back.

Everyone was frozen in place. No one knew what to do. And then, slowly, the second blonde haired man raised his head. The hair fell back from his face.

_Steve?_

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm guessing there are going to be about twenty chapters in this story. I'm over halfway through with writing it. I really hope you're enjoying it! There's going to be Steggy fluff for like three chapters and I'm excited! Anyways, I'm hoping this chapter is fine how it is. I separated this one and the next one, so I'm a little worried about the pacing. I figure I'll post the next one on Thursday or Friday.

Everything was a blur. Peggy wasn’t sure how she ended up in this apartment. One moment she was staring straight at. . . Steve? No. That couldn’t be possible. She knew Steve was dead. This had to be some strange impostor. Maybe they gave this man plastic surgery of some sort to catch Peggy off guard. Perhaps they wanted war secrets from her. This unknown agency must have thought Steve Rogers would get to her. He was a dead man. Nothing could prove otherwise.

She kept her eyes closed to pretend she was still knocked out. There was a foul odor in the air, it smelled like sewer in a way that made Peggy want to crinkle her nose. A slight noise in the background signified talking. There were a few different voices. They spoke so softly Peggy couldn’t understand what they were saying. One of the whispers sounded like the real Steve Roger’s voice. It must have been some sort of recording. Her unknown enemy was going to great lengths to mess with her mind.

She moved both her hands. She expected some sort of jingle from handcuffs or rope tying her down, but there was none of that. She was completely free to move around. She opened her eyes and scanned the room. She knew where she was. Peggy and Howard had visited here mere months after Steve’s death. It was Captain Rogers’ apartment. Howard had brought drinks along and poured them both some as they went through Steve and Bucky’s items. They took the more valuable ones for safe keeping and left everything else in place. Howard paid the rent every month so Steve would always have a home to go back to. Anger flared inside Peggy that these people were using Steve’s home as some sort of hideaway.

A beautiful woman, bright red hair curled around her shoulders and a skintight black suit hugged her curves, walked towards Peggy. Behind her was the blond man Peggy had originally meant to arrest. He had said his name was Clive Barker? Clint Bassinet? Clint Barton?

“Are you alright?” A second woman questioned. Peggy shifted from where she had been placed. A spring pushed into her back and she sat up properly on the couch. She blinked away the black spots that crowded her vision.

This woman was just as pretty as the first. Long dark hair fell down her back, an ill-fitting black dress hid most of her body. She didn’t see the fake Steve Rogers from her position. Instead of making it obvious she was looking for him, she kept her eyes on the dark-haired woman as she walked around the couch to stand with the other two.

“I would like some sort of explanation on why I’m here. You went to great lengths to create a fake Captain America. I’m quite impressed.”

The three exchanged a look. They had some sort of silent conversation. Peggy didn’t miss the way the dark-haired woman’s eyes flashed red.

“I’m Natasha,” said the redhead, “this is Clint and Wanda. We aren’t holding you or forcing you to be here. We have a couple questions and then we’ll try to answer any of your questions.”

 Peggy frowned. She did a second once over of this strange group of people. They seemed tired and ragged upon a closer look. She decided to listen to their questions.

“What’s the date, including the year?” Clint asked. He seemed nervous.

“December 13th 1946,” Peggy said, slowly.

Clint sank to the coffee table. He folded in on himself. Peggy had seen this before. It’s how Chief Dooly’s wife acted when they gave her the news of his death. It’s how nearly anyone acted when they lost someone they loved. Natasha knelt next to him and rubbed his back, gently. Wanda blinked and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and shakily exhaled. Peggy remained silent. There was a slight noise behind her. It came from where the bed was in Steve’s one room apartment. Peggy knew it was their fake Steve. It made her feel sick to look at him.

Finally, after several long moments of silence, Clint said, “Tony really did fuck up this time.”

Wanda flopped onto the couch. It groaned due to their combined weight. She closed her eyes. Peggy could have sworn she saw Wanda’s fingertips glow red. She could imagine Dugan’s voice in the back of her head, calling her crazy over imaging something like that. Every nerve in Peggy’s body was on edge, she was ready to either fight or bolt at any moment. By the door, she saw her shoes neatly placed next to four other pairs of combat style shoes. They were much fancier than anything she had seen before.

“Okay, Carter, we’ll answer as many of your questions as we can,” said Natasha.

She froze. Peggy had never once said her name to any of them. She knew there were only so many questions she could ask before they turned it against her. She pushed the threadbare blanket off of her. She was disgusted that they used Steve’s stuff like this. It was a mockery to the real Captain Rogers.

She turned to stare at the man on the bed. She froze in place. “Who are you?”

“Peggy, it’s me. I’m Steve.” He sounded just like the real Steve Rogers, a perfect replica of him.

Slowly, she approached him. She took in every small detail. His skin was flawless and scar-free just like Captain Rogers. She leaned forwards, her brown hair falling lose from its pins. She enjoyed how nervous it made him look.

“Prove it,” she whispered.

Not-Steve flushed red. “Fondue… It’s just cheese and crackers.”

Peggy rolled her eyes. “You’re not doing a good job of convincing me.”

She pushed herself back off the bed. The mattress creaked as Not-Steve leaned forwards and caught Peggy’s hand. She had nearly forgotten how Steve’s hand felt in hers. He pulled her towards him. Peggy didn’t resist, instead she simply arched an eyebrow, giving him permission. He kissed her.

“Christ, Steve,” she breathed. “No one else could fake being such a bad kisser.”

She still didn’t truly believe it was him. She would need proof other than a kiss. But for now, she stayed. She wanted to hear how he got out of the plane. Perhaps this was some cruel joke of Howard’s to announce he found Steve. However, she wanted to know why they had all reacted so negatively over something as trivial as the date.

She pushed away from Steve. Her feet padded across the wooden floor. She noticed the layer of dust on nearly all of the objects. They hadn’t been here long. The only thing they had messed with was the blankets and bed. Everything else was in its place.

Natasha was snickering from Peggy’s comment. It was the only noise in the near silent apartment. Peggy slipped over to the only window. She moved aside the curtains and stared down at the streets of Brooklyn. A child looked up at the window and stared at Peggy. She closed the curtain and turned back around. Everyone was watching her.

“I want to know how and why you’re here.”

To Peggy’s surprise, it was Wanda who spoke.

“We were brought here by the wrong invention. There is a machine… A monster in the future who’s called Ultron. In 2015 the Earth will be destroyed by him. A great inventor’s biggest mistake and we were pulled into it. He said he would save us, save everyone on our escape craft. Instead, we were brought here.”

All that did was create more questions for Peggy.

“There was a team. They were called the Avengers. Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, the Hulk, and Captain America. Captain Rogers was found frozen in the arctic in 2011. He was soon revived and earned a place on the original Avenger Team. Iron Man sent us back through time without explaining his methods. Without my powers, we would have died. His invention was extremely unstable. We aren’t sure if there are any other members of our team or if Ultron is following us. We need your help.”

Would she be able to go behind the SSR’s back again and help out this team of supposed heroes? They’ve kept a closer eye on her since the events of Stark’s weapons being stolen, but she could probably get away with it again. She would only risk her job if she had proof.

“We’ll do anything to prove to you our story,” Wanda said.

 “Show me proof of the future,” Peggy said, she knew that she would regret this.

She honestly wasn’t sure if she wanted this Steve to be the real thing or not. If he was, and that meant he was found in some far off future, she wouldn’t ever get her dance with him. Howard and she had failed him in their desperate attempts. She could have saved him on that plane, if only he had given her the coordinates. And if it wasn’t Steve… She would feel rather foolish to have even given him the chance, though it would help ease some of her guilt.

The corner of Wanda’s mouth twitched upwards and her eyes glowed red.

Everything was massive. She was somewhere else. In a bright, silver colored city with buildings that reached the sky. There were colorful adverts and people milling around. Strange, futuristic, quite ugly, cars filled the roads in traffic jams that were unimaginable. Somebody was running towards her. She would recognize that foolish run anywhere. It was Steve.

Her head hurt, her mind was foggy. She didn’t like what she was feeling, or how this woman had gotten inside of her head. It must have been like the Russian Doctor with his bloody ring. She could be doing any foolish thing right now while being distracted by some mental image. (Even though she knew everyone else saw happy things, this was certainly not something she enjoyed. The mix of shock and confusion on Steve’s face physically pained her. )

The image shattered around her. Steve and all of the fake looking buildings faded away. All that was left was Steve’s dingy apartment and the other four. Wanda seemed stunned, though the expression quickly changed into a neutral one.  It was clear that Natasha, Clint, and Steve were not let in on whatever Wanda was doing. They exchanged glances. Clint signed something at Natasha.

Wanda’s eyes turned from red to brown. Wanda whispered, “Who are you?”


	3. Chapter 3

Peggy wasn’t sure what had happened after Wanda attempted to work some sort of mind power over her. If she hadn’t met the Doctor from Leviathan, then she never would have believed it. There was something about Wanda that made Peggy jittery. Even more so after the failed try at getting her to see something else. Clint had then pulled out a phone. That managed to shock Peggy into silence and prove the future after showing her all of its capabilities. She still didn’t trust them but she did believe more of their story.

She sat next to Steve.  It took him several minutes (and Natasha frantically moving her hands as if Peggy didn't see her) before Steve finally wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. He held her loosely, as if it was okay for Peggy to leave at any moment. She didn’t have any plans on it as long as this was her Steve.

She had the blood. She could run some sort of test if this Steve gave her his blood. She could see if they were the same. If only she had scientific training. Peggy couldn’t get anyone else involved in this.

They all sat in silence for a long time. Natasha and Clint signed to each other while Wanda perched herself on the kitchen counter, she had her eyes closed and her finger tips glowed red. Peggy wanted to get as far away from Wanda as possible but she had a feeling distance wouldn’t help.

“The universe is complicated,” Wanda said suddenly, causing nearly all of them to jump. “I never gave it much thought before. It used to be a slight hum, something I grew use to after the experiments… It’s screaming now. He doesn’t like us here. He’s coming. S—Tony used the stone to send us back. It wasn’t gentle. There’s a slight trail but I wouldn’t be able to follow without its protection.”  
  
“Who’s ‘He’ Wanda?” Natasha questioned, her voice was sharp.

“I can’t tell,” Wanda admitted softly. “But they’re coming. We could hitch a ride.”

“After they decide to fight us and ruin the flow of time,” Steve said.

Steve had shifted closer to Peggy during Wanda’s speech. His grip around her shoulders had tightened. He was clearly very nervous. Peggy lightly tapped her hand against his leg and squeezed his other hand. She closed her eyes for a moment. Their short break was over. The Avengers at least had to prepare for their enemy. Peggy decided her mission was to keep Steve safe. She wouldn’t let him die again, it didn’t matter if this Steve was possibly fake or not. She couldn't bare to see anything happen to him.

“You don’t have to do this with us,” Natasha said.

“I already am,” Peggy replied.

 

There was next to no talk about their plan. Clint had launched into a wild story about him and a one eyed dog that took up most of their evening and had gotten them all to laugh at some point. Natasha seemed to come alive during this story and even acted some parts out with Clint.

It wasn’t until Steve moved from where they were practically curled up together on the bed to light a candle. He wouldn’t let go of her hand and stretched across the room. Peggy didn’t miss the smile that Clint and Natasha exchanged upon seeing this.  She was content until a curtain was brushed aside and she realized what time it was.

She then remembered the play and checked her watch. Angie’s Broadway premiere as an extra was tonight and Peggy had missed it. She wasn’t sure what to do. She had lied to Sousa about Angie and had forgotten to ask Angie to back her up. Odds are Angie had called Sousa after seeing the empty seat in the audience and asked about Peggy. They had then exchanged the lies Peggy told them and would question Peggy. She had also forgotten to call Howard about the Tesseract. He had most likely called Angie and they were all gossiping about her over the phone. As much as she hated to leave Steve, she had to get this over with.

Peggy then, very quickly and glazing over many details, explained to Steve and co. Clint handed her his cell phone and explained how they worked like long range talkies and they’d be able to stay in contact.

“Yeah,” Steve said, squeezing her hand, “I understand. I’ll walk you to the street corner and get you a taxi.”

She could have easily hailed her own cab, but she found herself not wanting to be apart from Steve. Besides, it was dark. Nobody would see his face. Peggy wished she’d known better to not make such foolish mistakes. 

 

There had been a brush of lips before he called a taxi. It left Peggy feeling like a middle school girl. She was certain Steve felt the same from the look on his face as she drove off. She closed her eyes and practiced lies she would feed Angie.

She was very surprised to see not just Angie and Sousa, but an extremely worried Howard Stark sitting at her kitchen table. Angie’s makeup was all done up and her hair growing frizzy from all of the spray. She found herself feeling even guiltier for having missed Angie’s show.

All three stood up at the same time as if they were incredibly angry parents and Peggy was the child who missed curfew. Because of this, Peggy couldn’t help but roll her eyes and sigh. She would have discarded her purse, but the cell phone was hidden deep inside. It was her only contact with Steve.

“Are you okay?” Sousa sounded worried.

“I’m disappointed in you, English. I was lookin’ forward to seeing you in the audience and instead you flaked.” Angie sounded pissed.

“What about the thing at lunch?” Howard sounded interested.

“I’m sorry, Angie. I got held up with a very important thing. I hadn’t realized the time.”

Peggy slipped past her three angry friends. She set her purse on the table like she usually did. She forced herself to appear casual. That didn’t seem to fool Angie. Howard fell into the chair next to her. There were bags under his eyes and he looked like he was ready to pass out, despite that he still managed to seem interested and act faintly upset. Sousa leaned against his crutch and walked over to the table. He gave Peggy a glare that would have scared lesser men.

“Like what?” Angie scoffed.

“I went to Central Park to check out what Howard had asked,” Peggy explained. “I took the wrong bus and ended up in Brooklyn. I spent the rest of the day with Captain Rogers.”

That seemed to silence all of them. They automatically assumed she meant his grave. She wouldn’t explain. Of course, due to this silence it made it extremely obvious that the contraption Clint gave her started quacking.

The four of them exchanged a confused look. Everyone’s eyes landed on Peggy’s purse in the middle of the table.

“Did you steal a duck from Central Park?” Angie blinked, the anger startled out of her.

Peggy had no bloody idea what to do. She slowly reached forwards and slide the purse towards her. She grabbed the phone out of it. It kept quacking.

“Is it a bomb?” Sousa asked.

“I think it’s a duck,” Angie said.

Howard stared at the rectangle. Peggy pressed the green button and lifted it to her face. She ignored Howard’s mumbling of when it dawned on him it was a phone.

“Hello?” Peggy snapped into the receiver.

There was a long, drawn out sigh on the other end. Peggy recognized it as Natasha.

“They’re all morons. Some cop thought he saw Captain _fucking_ America on the sidewalk. We had to get out of there. What address can we give the taxi driver? Oh and do you have money to pay the bill?”

“You can’t,” Peggy said through gritted teeth.

Angie moved to sit in the street across from her; she rested her head on one hand and stared at her. Sousa moved to just the position where Peggy felt cornered. Howard merely looked intrigued at the device. On the other end of the phone were some loud bangs and screeching noises that caused Peggy to wince and pull the phone away from her ear.

“Okay so scratch the address. Can you give us directions?”  There was a loud screech of tires and a slight scream in the background. “Did you know Steve’s a shitty getaway driver? This could have been useful knowledge before we stole a car and are driving it all around Brooklyn. I’m assuming you taught Steve how to hotwire a car. Good job by the way.”

“You’re welcome?” Peggy questioned. Angie looked just as confused as Peggy felt. She rattled off her address to them. She wasn’t able to give directions without knowing where they were. She figured that if this was born and raised Brooklyn boy Steve Rogers, he’d be able to find his way to a relatively rich neighborhood despite his upbringing.

Natasha groaned and then the phone went silent. Peggy pulled the phone away from her face and stared at the screen. It lit up and there was a screen with a bunch of smaller buttons. The one that interested her a lot more than Facebook or Instagram was the one that said photos. Did this new piece of technology actually have the ability to take photos? She tapped the screen and it opened up into a photo album. The first picture that appeared was one of Steve. She quickly set the phone face down on the table so no one could see it. She had no idea how to turn the screen off. She didn’t want to experiment with it in case there were any weapons attached.

“Do you want to explain?” Sousa finally asked after several long moments of silence.

“I think it’s time for you all to go. Howard, it was a pleasure seeing you. How about we all do this again sometime later on?” Peggy ushered all three of her friends out of the room. She hissed in Angie’s ear, “I think it’ll be safer if you find somewhere else to stay for a few days.”

“Peggy,” Sousa, Howard, and Angie sighed at the same time. They then exchanged confused glances.

They were in the main hallway now, the door was in sight. Peggy leaned against the wooden walls and watched them. She didn’t want to do anything drastic but they couldn’t see Steve. They all had connections with him and would recognize him within an instant and then their cover would be blown. It would be Peggy’s fault.

“Peggy,” Howard repeated, resting a hand on her arm. She quickly brushed it off, leveling him a flat glare. “We’re worried about you. You’ve been acting strange today and that new phone thing? Who made it? Where’d you get it from?”

Peggy was surprised he hadn’t seen the Stark Industries logo on it. “It’s nothing I can’t handle myself. Forget you saw anything, Howard. It’s safer that way.”

“What have you gotten yourself into, Peggy?” Sousa asked.

She looked up at him. “None of your concern, Agent Sousa. It has nothing to do with the government. It’s simply old friends visiting and I figured they’d like some peace when they arrive. I’ll see you at work on Monday, Sousa.”

Howard gave her a knowing look. Peggy Carter didn’t have old friends. There were the girls from boarding schools growing up and the Howling Commandos.

“Are you embarrassed of me?” Angie whispered.

Peggy shook her head. She didn’t know what to say. She so desperately wanted to protect Angie. It was stupid of her to have asked Angie to move in with her several months ago. It made things like this so much for difficult. Maybe if Sousa wasn’t here she’d explain the minor details to her friend.

“I’m sure Howard could arrange a home for you closer to the theatre district so you don’t have to worry about the long commutes during the show.”

Howard nodded. He still owed her since she saved him from being hung. Peggy would collect as a way to keep Angie safe. She didn’t know what kinds of threats the Avengers brought with them. Or maybe that’s what friends did, favors for each other.

“Thank you. Angie, call me when you get there.”

“English,” Angie sounded heartbroken, “you can’t just get rid of me. This is my home too.”

Peggy didn’t know if she should feel grateful that the doorbell rang, it got her out of a horrible conversation. Everybody fell silent.

“Guess we get to meet your friends after all,” Sousa muttered.

She rushed towards the wooden door. Out of habit, she checked the peephole. Steve stood behind Clint and Natasha while Wanda was in the very front. Long, greasy brown hair covered half her face, the other part had mascara caked under her eyes.

Peggy opened the door enough to slide outside and close it again. She knew Sousa, Howard, and Angie would have their ears pressed against the doors within moments.

They looked extremely tired. Natasha ran a hand through her knotted hair and sighed loudly. Clint leaned against Steve and looked half asleep. Peggy felt bad she’d have to put them through even more. She’d have to get exactly what happened out of Steve later.

“Howard Stark is inside that hallway as well as a SSR agent and a very dear friend of mine. They’re expecting to see my guests.”

Wanda’s one visible eye flashed red. “Go to the back door and wait. Peggy and I will go in.”

“What’s our cover?” Peggy asked.

Wanda grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just got back from my friends' house and have been writing ever since. I apologize for any grammar errors, although I tried to make sure that there weren't any. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've officially finished writing this story. Now all that is left is for me to decide on an actual update schedule. Do you have any suggestions on how often I should post? I was thinking maybe once or twice a week but I'm torn... I guess it depends on whatever feedback I get from you guys. Thanks for reading!

Peggy escorted Wanda into the house, silently closing the doors behind her. Wanda hovered at Peggy’s side, acting extremely timid. Sousa eyed her up wearily and Angie smiled happily. The hallway seemed colder than it had been before. Peggy felt guilty for forcing them to wait outside in the snow. But like superstition said, Friday the 13th could easily be blamed for their misfortune. She arched an eyebrow at Howard and waited for him to say something.

Dark black hair fell into Wanda’s face, hiding her expression. If Peggy squinted, she could see a hint of a smile drift across Wanda’s lips. She was very nearly terrified of the girl she brought into her home.

“I’m Wanda. I met Agent Carter during the war. I’m forever grateful for everything she’s done for my family. My brother just recently died. I had nowhere to go. I’m staying with Peggy. My flight just arrived, I’m terribly sorry for any trouble I’ve caused.”

There was a flash of red from underneath all of that hair. And then Wanda laughed and pushed the hair from her face. She must have seen something.

“It’s better if they know,” Wanda said.

The glare Peggy gave Wanda had killed lesser men. Howard seemed shocked Wanda didn’t wither under it. She simply spun around and walked straight towards the back door as if she had lived in this house her entire life. And yet again, Peggy was thoroughly worried by the extent of Wanda’s powers. She was appalled that Wanda hadn’t listened to her and simply decided to bring them in on the plan. She wondered if the other Avengers had been in on it as well.

By the shocked expression on Clint and Natasha’s faces, they most certainly hadn’t known. Steve leaned against the wall, his hand tight around the door frame and his eyes fixed on something else, instead of looking at Howard. Natasha patted his back and slowly moved inside the house. Her eyes flew across the back porch and the garden pots it held. Clint signed something at Natasha that caused a grin to spread across her face.

Steve, his shoulders slumping forwards and running a hand through his blond hair, did everything he could not to look Howard in the eye. He moved next to one of the pots and tried to blend in, despite his shaggy appearance. They had all tried and failed to blend in with the style, Steve had a white shirt on, with loose suit pants. Underneath the shirt, Peggy could just make out the stars and stripes of a combat version of the Captain America suit. Clint and Natasha were in similar states of disarray. They all looked like they could use a hot shower.

Howard had been staring at Steve. He looked completely shocked. This was another reason why Peggy hadn’t wanted him involved. She wasn’t sure what details she could spread without ruining time. Howard took a step closer to Steve.

The door slammed closed, which seemed to shock everyone out of silence. Howard began talking at Steve faster than anyone could understand, his words jumbled and mixed up and his eyes wide. Natasha’s glare at Wanda turned into her strolling towards Wanda, an angry smile on her face. Angie and Sousa were also talking quite loudly, arguing on if that was actually Captain America as if the shield clumsily hidden behind his legs didn’t prove it.

The things Peggy caught from this loud fight were:

“Are you Steve? How? I was just in the arctic looking for you. Somebody would have called. We thought you were dead.”

“I am sick and tired of you doing the exact opposite of Steve’s orders, Wanda. This wasn’t the plan. Do you know how badly it will fuck up the timeline for Howard Stark and two civilians to see Captain America alive?”

“I swear it’s Captain America! I met him when I auditioned for the show! Maybe you never saw his face when he rescued you, Daniel.”

Peggy had no idea what to do. Clint seemed to be in the same boat. She could shout over them and try to calm them down, but that would never be her choice. Perhaps, Clint would do it, but with how nervous he looked amidst the dying shrubbery she doubted he would. They stared at each other for several moments until Clint said, “Can I have my phone back now?”

Peggy grinned. This foolish shouting was starting to get on her nerves. She managed to catch Steve’s shaken look and wink at him. 

“This is growing bloody foolish,” Peggy said, not bothering to yell over them. “I’ll be in the kitchen for anyone who would like to act like an adult.”

She then spun around on her heel and walked away. She needed a cup of tea.

 

Peggy’s peaceful cup of tea was interrupted mere moments after she sat down and was about to take a sip. Steve filed in first, a grin on his face that Peggy hadn’t seen since he got here, and the shield slung across his back. He slipped into the chair next to her. She almost regretted not making a second cup of tea.

“I’ve missed you, Peggy,” he said softly.

 Peggy wondered how long it had been since he last saw her, how long had he been unfrozen in the future. It would be different than anything they had experienced, the cellphone laying on the table in front of her really proved it. It had been almost a year of agony for her. She missed Steve terribly, but she had soldiered on. Knowing him, he would have too.

Before she could reply, the others came in like a storm. She set down her tea and sighed. “Have seats wherever you can.”

Natasha and Clint both leaned against the wall where they could easily view anyone who sat at the table. Natasha signed something to him. She was most likely translating at this point. After a few moments of hesitation on the remaining four, Sousa ended up with one of the remaining seats and Wanda got the other. She looked extremely nervous and wouldn’t look anyone in the eye. Angie moved to the counter and rustled around in the fridge. Howard simply lurked behind Sousa’s chair, his hands nervously fiddling with a piece of paper.

The only noise was the sounds of breathing and items in the fridge clinking together.

Finally, Sousa spoke up and summed everything up elegantly. “What the hell is this, Peggy?”

“I’ve wondered the same question myself, Daniel. Stop me if I’m wrong, Steve. But this seems to be a case of time travel. My new friends seem to be from the future, the year 2015, if I’m not mistaken. They’ve been sent here because of some sort of escape device that seems to have backfired. I don’t know the details, Howard, but he seems to have been rescued from the ice. Is there any sort of test you can run to truly confirm it’s him?”

“I could do a blood test,” Howard said.

“Go ahead,” Steve said, “I’ll do anything to prove it.”

Peggy needed the confirmation and she trusted Howard. If they were getting involved, she would make use of it. Angie set down a platter of cookies on the table. She reached for one and plopped it in her mouth. She glanced at Peggy, her face was unreadable.

 

It was Steve. It had taken Howard less than half an hour to run whatever tests he needed to determine that this was their Steve. After being sworn to secrecy, Daniel went home for the evening with the promise to see Peggy on Monday, unless something came up and he was needed on the weekend. He didn’t exactly seem overjoyed that this was the real Captain America. But he had shaken Steve’s hands and thanked him for saving’s Sousa’s life. Steve did what was expected of Captain America and said all of the things as if they were scripted. Steve was stiff and rigid up until they were deciding the rooms. Howard and Angie were off down one of the corridors like Peggy had asked of them, so that way the Avengers could determine their rooms. As soon as Peggy said there were three bedrooms left, Natasha, Clint, and Wanda each claimed their own and hurried off before Steve could say anything.

“I can take the couch,” Steve offered nervously when he had walked Peggy to her room.

“Nonsense,” Peggy said softly.

They quietly slipped inside of her room. Steve lingered by the door as Peggy fixed up her hair and slipped on her nightgown. She took off the remains of her lipstick and then looked up at Steve.

“Feel free to make yourself comfortable, Steve.”

It felt weird to say his name and know this was actually him. She should have been overjoyed that her wartime lover was still alive, but instead it left her feeling guilty. They hadn’t been able to save Steve despite their best efforts. Somebody else had stumbled across him. She had abandoned him.

Steve slipped off the awkward fitting shirt and the black pants to reveal his new Captain America outfit. She wondered who made it. It looked much sturdier and safer than what Howard had designed. Peggy couldn’t help but think about Bucky and how happy he would be to see his friend so much more protected.

The shield was dropped to the ground and he quickly undid the top of his suit and set it aside to reveal a tight shirt. He left the pants on and simply kicked his boots and socks off. He nearly sighed contentedly as his bare feet hit the cold wood. Peggy couldn’t help but smile at him.

Then it became awkward. Steve looked like he was tired, but he was also eyeing the shower. Peggy didn’t know what to do or say. Instead she stood up slowly from her vanity. Steve seemed to be just as clueless as she felt.

“Sorry,” he said finally. “I haven’t slept in days. There’s… a lot happens in the future.”

He looked like he wanted to tell her everything as they slowly crawled into the large bed together, but instead he fell silent.

“Goodnight, Steve. I’ve missed you.”

She flicked off the light, but not before she could see his smile. He fell asleep before Peggy could say anything else.


	5. Chapter 5

She was aware of a feeling of warmth in her bed that hadn’t been there before. It took her mere moments to recall the events of the past day. It was hard for to describe her feelings about Steve and his new team. It wasn’t jealousy, but something similar. She was happy for Steve, his new team seemed to care for him. She just wished she was with him too. But they had managed to be torn apart. They weren’t even supposed to be together now, it was just an accident that he ended up here.

She moved closer towards Steve. The early morning sun filtered through the curtains and gave the room a beautiful glow. Before the war, Peggy had never been an early morning person, one of the many things her mother hated about her. But that didn’t matter now. She would live in the moment and not look back. She moved closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her even closer. Something felt warm in her chest. She had only felt this feeling once before while at boarding school with a beautiful brunette. She didn’t want to think of the despair that would come from this. She refused to say the words to herself.

“Good morning,” Steve whispered in her ear as if they were the only two people in the world. It would have been so much easier that way.

“Hello,” Peggy replied as she turned over to face him.

His smile was enough to make Peggy grin back. Their moments of peace were over when Steve slid out of bed to take a shower.

Peggy rustled in her dresser, for some sort of men’s clothing to leave for him. Of course, this was the one bedroom that she had thrown Howard’s stuff out of. With a promise to Steve, she slipped out of her room to find Howard. She was certain he would have clothing that would fit Steve. This is where he had intended to bring Steve after he found him. It was bitter irony at this point.

Her bare feet made no noise as she padded down the hallway towards Howard’s room. There were no noises in the house other than the ticking clock. It must have been earlier than she first assumed. Then, she heard a noise. A rustle came from down the stairs. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the nearest vase and began prowling down the stairs and into the kitchen.

For a moment she didn’t recognize the tall man cooking breakfast, and then he turned around.

“Mr. Jarvis!” Peggy grinned. “It’s a pleasure to see you today. Did you not fly back with Howard?”

She set the vase down on the table and moved across the kitchen. He eyed her state of undress, but simply hugged her in response.

“It’s been a while, Agent Carter. How have things been going? I flew down with Howard, but visited my wife last night. I hadn’t seen Anna in weeks. I certainly hope you don’t mind.”

“Howard hasn’t told you?”

The look Jarvis gave her was nearly comic. He rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. He then returned to making his pancakes.

“Do you believe in time travel, Mr. Jarvis? I certainly didn’t. But you wouldn’t believe—“

Steve entered the room in nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. He blinked in surprise at Jarvis, but simply addressed Peggy by asking, “Hey! You find any clothes? I could probably borrow some from Clint if I need to. He has some extra in his bag.”

She hadn’t really thought about Clint’s over sized duffle bag he had been carrying. She wondered what the contents were. She trusted Steve, just not his friends. Jarvis’s expression caused Peggy to softly laugh. His state of undressed had shocked her just as much as it had Jarvis. Honestly, it was more humorous to her that Jarvis’s face had started to turn beet red.

Stepping forward, Steve smiled innocently and raised his hand to Jarvis.

“Steve Rogers,” he said.

“Steve Rogers?” It sounded as if Jarvis had been kicked.

Jarvis looked back and forth between Peggy and Steve, completely bewildered. He clearly wasn’t sure how to respond to this. So instead he simply turned back to his pancakes.

“I suppose I should make more food?” he asked.

“Yes,” Peggy said quickly. “Enough for eight people if you’re dinning with us as well.”

Jarvis nodded and looked at his mix. “There are spare sets of clothing in the closet outside of the living room. I’m sure there’s something that could fit you, Captain Rogers.”

Steve seemed mildly disappointed that he was called Captain. It seemed to remind him about where he was and his grip around the towel tightened. His carefree demeanor vanished. Peggy brushed past him, patting his arm as they went.

“So in the future does everyone walk around like that?”

Steve rolled his eyes at her. “Everyone runs around in just towels, I promise. Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to embarrass your friend. I figured you were the only one up.”

Peggy smiled. Steve seemed skinnier than he had during the war, his entire body seemed lankier. She pushed the thought out of her mind and tried to enjoy the moment with him. When he had clothes on, it wasn’t obvious at all. It worried her.

Thirty minutes later, she had applied her red lipstick and Steve had put clothes on. They silently walked down to the dining room together. Natasha, Clint, and Angie were the only ones there. Wanda and Howard were missing. Natasha eyed Steve up from where she sat across from Clint. She signed something to Clint and he grinned. Peggy slid into the seat next to Angie, who smiled up sweetly at her friend. Angie then winked at her which left Peggy confused.

They sat in silence for several minutes. There was a thin layer of dust across the extravagant dining hall that signaled its disuse. Of course, to Howard it was probably simple and understated. The paintings on the wall of an elderly couple were enough for Angie to leave the room and never reenter. Even now, Peggy would catch Angie staring at it.

Howard finally entered the room. He made a beeline for Steve and sat as close to him as possible while still remaining at the head of the table.

“Jarvis!” Howard shouted over his shoulder, interrupting whatever Natasha had been signing about. She shot Stark a dirty look. Then the Avengers sans Wanda all exchanged confused looks as Jarvis entered the room.

Jarvis entered the room with a stack of pancakes balanced on his arm and syrup in hand.  He gently set the plate down on the table and stepped to the back of the room.

The room fell silently as everyone munched on their pancakes. Soon everyone was finished and no one knew what to do.

“I guess Wanda’s still asleep,” Natasha said in an attempt to do make conversation.

Clint nodded in agreement and stuffed another pancake in his mouth.  It fell silent again. They needed a plan. Wanda had made a claim about someone coming. They needed to identify the threat and decide how they would proceed. She was shocked Steve hadn’t said anything yet.

If Steve wasn’t going to take charge, she bloody would.

“Yesterday, Wanda mentioned something about someone coming. Who is it?”

Perhaps she killed the mood, Natasha’s slight smirk turned into a frown. She blinked and looked at Jarvis instead. When she spoke, her mouth was full of pancakes. The three of them had seemed to eat as much as they could without being obvious.

“This is good. I always figured food from the forties as being bad, given war rationing. But eating out of a can for two months is pretty bad.”

“Nat means to say is that our friend screwed up pretty badly with his latest invention. He… well… created a robot that destroyed humanity.  We saved as many as we could. About two thousand people living in the hovercraft. It’s been two months and we’re down to less than half. We’ve been on a wild chase around the world to hide from Ultron. He found us and Tony got all of the Avengers together. The others were in on the plan to send us back. I guess it was their escape pod or something. He could be using it on the others too. Maybe he’s sending them back to a different times too. I doubt Ultron gave them the chance though. They’re all dead because of us.” Steve closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

Angie looked shocked, her jaw had dropped open and everyone seemed to abandon their food.

“The machine is still in 2015. Ultron could figure out how to use it,” Steve said.

“Of course all of this happened on a Friday the 13th,” Natasha hissed.

“Yesterday was the 13th,” Angie said quickly. “Everybody at the play was super nervous since it was openin’ night.”

Natasha nodded thoughtfully. She reached behind her and grabbed the pen and paper off the table and began writing down formulas. Every so often, Clint would lean over and look.

“How could we stop Ultron if he comes here?” Peggy demanded.

If it wasn’t for the haunted look in Steve’s eyes, she wouldn’t have trusted it. Even still, it was hard to believe that a sentient robot took over the world. Howard seemed to be considering all of this and taking it in stride.

At that moment, Wanda strolled into the room. “We should have used the Vision. I shouldn’t have stopped Tony. I’m sorry.”

Steve looked up at her. “We didn’t know, Wanda. It’s not anyone’s fault.”

She blinked. Her hair was wet and pulled back from her face in a high ponytail. Peggy had never seen something that style before. She wore one of Angie’s dresses, but it still managed to be too big on her. The dark eye makeup had been taken off. Wanda looked so much younger than Peggy first thought.

“Can we recreate this vision? Is it some sort of weapon?” Howard sounded more curious than anything else.

“He was an android. He had artificial skin that spent one woman years to research and create. She’s the only one with that tech. He also used one of the Infinity Stones,” Natasha responded. “There have been so many advancements, that we wouldn’t be able to recreate any type of weapon.”

“The internet,” Steve blurted out. “He would use the internet to escape. It won’t be invented until the moon landing.”

“We see the moon?” Angie asked.

The fact that his team seemed shocked that Steve thought of something like that was enough to infuriate Peggy. Steve’s hand found hers under the table.

“A bow and arrow and some bullets aren’t enough to defeat his army,” Clint responded.

Steve paused. He had always been clever, she was glad to see that hadn’t faded over time.

“Ultron is basically one of Tony’s suits. How often do they need repairs on average? Ultron wouldn’t have been able to repair all of himself. He destroyed a lot of it. We may not have the Hulk, but I have faith in Peggy and Howard.”

“It depends on his combat. Odds are, some of them rusted or deteriorated over the two month span. I’d slightly over estimate by saying about three hundred left,” Natasha said.

“Ultron will let us know when he arrives,” Wanda whispered.

“So we wait.” Clint sounded disappointed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot to post this chapter. I meant for it to be up like two days ago. Oops! Leave a comment and talk Steggy headcanons with me!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The amount of typos in this chapter was shocking. I think I've fixed most of them, however if you notice anything while reading this, please let me know! I apologize for the wait on this chapter, I've been having problems with my computer browser not opening which caused this delay.

Steve couldn’t remain looking like himself. That was their biggest problem. The police chase last night had caused a lot of attention to the fact that Captain America was still out there. A grainy picture of Steve running with the shield attached to his back made headline news.

It had been decided that Angie and Wanda would run out and get brown hair dye and a pair of glasses and a regular gray fedora. They had everything else they needed to disguise Steve, which honestly wasn’t much, just simple clothing.

Natasha and Clint had gone and sat on a loveseat together from where they had a perfect view of the entire room. That had always been Peggy’s favorite seat, however, she tried not to be too hurt over them taking it.

Instead, they sat on the comfiest couch in the room, his arm wrapped around her. Howard was speaking to Steve about everything and nothing. Mostly it was talk about the last year. Steve seemed interested, though he didn’t say much. It was hard to get a word in edgewise with Howard. Soon after, Jarvis served tea. He nearly seemed excited to have guests. He seemed to have calmed down about Captain Rogers as well.  Steve seemed relaxed and at ease. With the state of where the Avengers had survived for the past few months, she had a feeling Steve needed the break. Naturally, it would be short lived. Ultron would find them soon.

“What about the Howling Commandos?” Steve asked. “How are they?”

“They’re doing grand. Some of the members have taken breaks, and others have replaced them for a while. Dugan seems to be the most permanent of the team. I went on a mission with them back in May. They still want me on their team. Unfortunately, they’ve taken to calling me Miss Union Jack.”

“Just be glad you’re not called Dum Dum Dugan, Peggy.”

They grinned at each other, and for a moment they forgot Howard was there and any of their looming problems. Like usual, it was gone too quickly. Howard laughed at their joke and went on with his story. Peggy was nearly certain he was telling a heavily embellished story of when his weapons had been stolen. She didn’t care enough about his childish antics to listen.

 Then Angie and a cheerful Wanda walked through the door. Wanda was grinning when she pulled out the selection of dye. It was either dark brown or jet black. There was no time wasted in Wanda leading Steve into the kitchen, getting him to take his shirt off as not to ruin it and rubbing the dye into his hair. Angie then excused herself, claiming that it was getting late and she needed to head down to the theatre. Peggy walked her friend to the door.

“I’m happy for you, Peggy,” Angie said. “Just… please be careful, English. Anything could happen with this Ultron guy. I see why you didn’t want to get me involved with this. But I can help.”

“I expected no less of you wanting to help. Be careful, phone if there’s anything troublesome at the theatre.”

Angie smiled. She leaned forwards and kissed Peggy on the cheek and ran out the door. It was enough to make her heart break. Angie must have only considered Peggy as a friend, besides it was selfish when she had Steve. Truthfully, she loved them both. Honestly, they would both disappear, Steve would return to the future and she feared for Angie’s life, anyone could target her.

 

She wasn’t sure how long she stood in that hallway, watching Angie through the window to make sure she safely made it to the car. But, when she finally made her way to the kitchen, Steve looked shocked and angry at Wanda, who was cackling away at how his hair at turned out. It was jet black in a way that completely contrasted his eyebrows. It was obvious about how fake it was.

“I chose the brown, Wanda.” He seemed utterly calm when he spoke, despite his body language. Everyone else was laughing as well. Peggy shot him a kind look.

Then, finally, after Steve was just starting to panic, Wanda waved her hand in the air and the black turned to a pink-ish red and then faded to the dark brown he had wanted. He shot Wanda a completely unimpressed glance before standing up.

“Hey Steve,” Clint called out. “Remember that time we filled up your entire office with cat plushies from Neko Astume?”

Steve walked out of the room. He winked at Peggy before slipping on the glasses and heading up the stairs. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with Howard today, so she followed him.

“Are you alright?” She asked, trailing slightly behind him.

From here, they had a lovely view of the living room below. Steve leaned against the balcony and sighed.

“How do I get outside?” he asked.

“You went upstairs to go outside?” Peggy questioned, a small smile appearing on her lips.

Steve ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it upwards. Peggy took pity on him and lead him towards the window that they could crawl out of to sit on the roof. It typically had a view of the gardens below, but now everything was covered with snow. It was colder than she expected, but Steve quickly wrapped his arm around hers.

They sat like that for several minutes. Until Steve started speaking, it was more of him ranting to himself than anything else.

“When I came out of the ice, they simply told me that we won the war. Everyone expected me to be the Captain America they see in the comic books, all righteous and full of myself. I’m tired of it. They’ll make fun of me because they think I can’t use a computer or I don’t get all of their references. I haven’t the heart to tell them I figured out how to use it the first time I sat down. They just think I’m an old man. They don’t realize that I'm younger than them.”

“You mean you haven’t proven to them that you run head first into battle? It’s… I understand. I’m known as Betty Carver, Captain America’s sweetheart. That’s all the men at the office think about when they see me. Some helpless woman captured by Hydra. It doesn’t matter, Steve. I know my value and you know yours. Don’t let them control you by who they think you are.”

Steve smiled at her. “I missed everyone so much, Peggy. You and Howard knew me before the serum. You know I’m not just a dumb blonde with muscles.”

He didn’t say Bucky’s name. Bucky knew him the longest. It didn’t make sense. Before Peggy could say anything, something sparked in Steve’s eyes.

“Let’s have a snowball fight.”

“And have it turn into the Great Commando fight of ’44?”

Steve grinned.

Peggy slipped inside the window and back to the long hallway with all of their bedrooms. Of course, hers was closest to the middle, so she could hear all of the noises coming from the house when she slept. Even now, as they crept across the house, they could hear the voices of the Avengers and Howard. They were laughing and shouting over each other. The solemn mood of the morning seemed to have been forgotten.

Steve paused for a moment, listening to the conversation below. He shook his head and kept moving.

“Why are we sneaking about?” She asked when they slipped into the room, closing the door behind them.

“Clint’s a perfect shot and could easily win the entire thing,” Steve explained. He grabbed his suit jacket and rearranged his clothing so his shirt would hide it, but it would still keep him worn. She grabbed her own tact pants and tossed them on as well as her boots and coat. She noticed Steve grab his shield off the floor. Even that had seemed to change. The paints were now a more metallic, dull color. Steve noticed her staring and grinned at her.

“How do you propose we get around them, Captain?” She may have been flirting.

“We jump out the window.” Steve didn’t catch it.

All around the house was an old garden bed covered in snow. There was no proper cushion for he to even be able to consider something like that. They could simply take the servant stairs. But of course, Steve seemed excited to jump out of a window. She couldn’t stop him now.

“Trust me, I’ve done worse jumps than two stories.”

“Of course,” she said, no doubt in her mind that Steve had done jumps a lot worse.

So they returned to the side of the house and looked out the window, Steve stepped backwards, the shield attached to his back. He wrapped his arms around Peggy. Then they were falling. She had always loved jumping out of planes, if it had only lasted longer, she would have loved this just as much. At the last moment, Steve twisted them both to the side and curled up. The only noise was the thud of his shield. They lay like that for several minutes, hidden between the walls of the houses and buried in the snow.

Peggy pushed off the shield and stood up in the snow. “How do you plan to get back up?”

Steve gave her a blank stare and shrugged his shoulders. He abandoned the shield, leaving it leaning up against the wall. He then knelt to the ground and started making snowballs. Peggy took a step away, she quickly formed a small ball and flung it at him before she sprinted through the snow to the back of the house.

From there she started making and stacking as many balls as she could, she hid around the corner and waited for Steve to approach.

She could hear his footsteps as if he were exaggerating them. She waited and then sprung out from the corner, nailing him in the face with one while Steve crushed a pile of snow over her head. They laughed at each other. Steve licked the snow off of his lips and Peggy brushed some of it off her hair.

Then they ran again, scooping up snow and throwing it at each other. This was the first time Peggy had truly allowed herself to have fun. Angie would have loved playing a game like this with them.

Finally, Peggy sprung up behind Steve while they were in the side of the yard. She tackled him to the ground and held him there. She had no doubts that Steve would have easily been able to get out of this position. But, he was holding back his strength. Peggy would use this to her advantage. She straddled him and grabbed his hair.

“Do you surrender?” She questioned cheerfully.

Steve twisted his body upwards in a move she had never seen before. Then, she was pinned beneath him. He had his arms on either side of her, there was enough space that she could slither out or kick upwards at him. But she remained. Slowly, her hand wrapped around snow.

“Do you?” his voice was lower than usual. He stared down into her eyes.

Later on, it would have dawned on Peggy that he was about to kiss her. In the heat of the moment, she crushed snow over his head and laughed as he rolled off her. They stayed like that for a while, the snow seeping through her clothing and making her shiver. On the other hand, Steve seemed perfectly fine as he lay there. Peggy poked his arm and sat up.

Agent Thompson was standing there, a warm coat around his shoulders and a stack of files in his arm. He had a shit-eating grin on his face. Peggy immediately felt anger boil up inside her.

“Hey, Carter,” Thompson said. “Who’s your friend? Never seen you laugh like that before.”

“What do you want, Agent Thompson?” She snapped.

Peggy stood up and approached him. She flicked her hand backwards for Steve to stay on the ground. They had abandoned the glasses upstairs, even with the darker hair, Thompson would recognize Steve. He wasn’t quite that clueless.

“Files from when you skipped work yesterday. Sousa told me to give them to you.”

She decided to call him on his lie. “Just because you can’t file your own bloody paperwork doesn’t mean you have the right to come to my home and force me to do it. I’m not your secretary.”

“Of course, Carter. You’d rather be spending all your time with that man over there. I always thought you preferred blonds.”

It took everything in her not to punch him. Thompson must have realized he stepped too far over the line this time. He paled slightly, but it didn’t stop the cocky grin from spreading over his face.

“I suggest you leave, Agent Thompson, otherwise I’ll have to report you for trespassing. I’m sure those charges would look great on your resume.”

“I thought we were friends.”

He tried to shove the files at her, but she turned away. Steve had sat up during the conversation, letting brown hair fall over his eyes. He looked shocked that she had let Thompson speak to her that way. She ignored his look. Her eyes quickly darted over to the shield. Steve had been smart enough to sit up and use his body to hide his shield. She was proud of him. Of course, they’d have to stay like that until Thompson left.

“I think you’re mistaken,” She snapped.

Thompson looked surprised. He dropped the files in the snow and left.

 

To say Peggy was upset was an understatement. They ended up sneaking back up to Peggy’s bedroom as she sorted through the paperwork. It made no sense that Thompson would take a forty minute trip both ways, just to deliver something he could have done in twenty. That was enough to piss her off even more. After painstakingly blow drying the files, which she asked Steve to do, and simply alphabetizing them, she set everything aside and turned back to face Steve. It was getting late, Jarvis would be cooking dinner soon. The sun was setting, casting shadows across the room. She hadn’t bothered to waste the electricity by flipping the switch. It was halfway across the room and Steve’s head leaned against her.

“You fall asleep on me, Soldier?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Steve said and then smiled.

Peggy rolled her eyes at him, running her hand through his hair. She sat there for another moment. Usually her weekends would be spent pulling overtime at the SSR or reading a book with a cup of tea. Occasionally, she would watch Angie’s rehearsals. She was typically alone though. The weekend would on and on and she would be excited for the work week ahead of her. Now, that wasn’t the case. Her most likely limited time with Steve was flying by and she didn’t want him to go. Losing him again would be even more painful than the last.

She slide off her chair, Steve’s eyes followed her across the room.

“I’m going to take a hot shower,” Peggy said, making her way to the bathroom. “Care to join me?”

The look of surprise on Steve’s face was priceless, but he didn’t turn her down on her offer.


	7. Chapter 7

Jarvis had outdone himself on dinner, a roast that must have taken all day with vegetables that were just as tender. He must have taken Natasha’s comment about the can foods to heart. The table was set all at one end, with Howard at the head. Everyone had sat just in a way where Steve and Peggy would have no choice but to sit by Howard since they were the last ones down. Steve seemed to be in a much better mood than this afternoon. Peggy wasn’t surprised. She found herself feeling better as well, much more refreshed. Natasha was watching them out of the corner of her eye; she most certainly knew what had happened. She seemed pleased.

Clint seemed excited and oblivious to see Steve. “Howard fixed my hearing aids!”

Steve was just as thrilled. “That’s great!”

Wanda and Natasha smiled happily at him. The dinner conversation flowed smoothly from subject to subject, everybody talking at some point. Not much happened, but Peggy didn’t want to forget the moment she slide her leg up Steve’s and caused him to nearly choke on a piece of meat. She didn’t ever want to forget this dinner. It was some of the most fun she’s had.

Then, in the skills she had learned from finishing school, she casually guided everyone to the living room. That was when Jarvis turned on the radio station the worst thing she could possibly hear came out.

“You’ve tuned into another exciting adventure of the Captain America show! Betty Carver has been captured again by the evil Hydra soldiers. Captain America is her only hope!”

The entire room froze, their attention focused on the radio. Howard had probably never gotten this station in the arctic or never gave it any attention. It seemed that the radio show had vanished before Steve had been unfrozen and they had never heard it before. The four Avengers seemed confused and interested, which meant the show had actually died out long before their time. That was one plus for her. Betty Carver would be long forgotten about.

She plopped down on the couch with the rest of them. While they seemed to be glued to the radio, Peggy tried to focus on something else. Steve seemed to be jumping in the same boat the longer the program went on.

Natasha began dramatically imitating Betty Carver, while Clint took on the role of the solemn Captain America. They chased each other around the living room, acting out the parts. Peggy had a strong feeling they were doing this to simply cheer Steve up. He seemed to be growing upset at the treatment of Peggy’s character in the show. When Bucky Barnes came on, the scrappy teenage sidekick of Captain America, came on everybody fell silent. Until Bucky said something so stupid that caused Steve to burst out laughing. It was a sound she rarely heard. By the look of surprise on the other Avengers’ faces, they seemed even more shocked. But soon everyone joined in. Even Jarvis was grinning in the back of the room. In midst of all of this chaos, Peggy ended up leaning against Steve with his arm wrapped around her.

Howard caught her eye from his chair in the corner. He looked so happy for her that it made her heartache.

 

She woke next to Steve, the sun shone in from the curtains and his arm wrapped around her. She turned over in his arm so she faced him. She wasn’t sure who initiated it, but the next thing she knew, they were kissing slow and thoughtfully.

“Good morning, darling,” Peggy whispered breathlessly.

Steve’s eyes lit up. He leaned forwards and kissed her again. It was her lazy Sunday morning in bed with her boyfriend? She didn’t particularly find the need to label their relationship as long as they were happy.

“Peggy,” Steve mumbled into her neck, “you’re amazing.”

She arranged herself so she was even closer to him. Steve looked down at her, seeming as content as Peggy felt. She closed her eyes and listened to his breathing for a moment.

Then they heard a scream.

The pair shot off the bed. Peggy grabbed her gun and wrapped a robe around her as Steve simply grabbed his shield and they took off down the hall. He must have been able to tell where exactly the scream had come from. Peggy was thankful it hadn’t come from Angie’s room. Instead, it was one of the Avengers. They paused, watching each other for several moments. Angie and Howard were running across the hall. The pair stopped when they saw Steve and Peggy. Steve gestured for them to stay back. Another scream pierced the air. It was so much louder now. Angie shivered.

Steve held up three fingers and counted down. He grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. His shield covered both of them. Peggy’s gun pointed out from the corner of it. Wanda was curled up on the large bed, sweat covered her entire body yet she was shaking. Natasha and Clint kept their distance, pressed up against the vanity. Clint had a bow with arrow against the string. He was ready to shoot Wanda at any moment.

Steve kicked the door shut behind them. “Natasha, report.”

Before Natasha could speak, Wanda groaned loudly, her hands flying up to her head.

Clint handed his bow off to Natasha and silently moved towards the bed. He slipped onto it and stroked Wanda’s hair. She whimpered softly. Natasha and Steve looked shocked that he had approached Wanda like that. She was much more dangerous than anyone had let on.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong, Wanda?”

She shivered. It was like the entire room dropped ten degrees.

Then Wanda sat up, her eyes entirely red. She stared at a point on the wall. Her hair curled up around her shoulders, floating into the air. Steve grabbed Peggy’s hand.

“The universe is screaming. It’s falling apart,” she gritted out. “It’s falling apart but it’s not our fault. _He_ wants the Time Stone, what Stark used to send us back. He’s angry someone else has it. The universe is being torn apart because of him. It’s in pain. It’s screaming and I’m the only one who can hear its cries. If He gets it, we’ll have no way home. No way that we can rewrite time and prevent Ultron from winning it.”

“How do we stop him?” Steve asked.

Wanda turned her cold eyes on him. She was a million miles away in her mind. “It’s up to a Guardian. We’ll have no control. If Ultron uses the stone, it’ll set Him upon us all.”

She fell back against the mattress, sprawling across Clint’s lap. They looked at each other for several minutes. Nobody knew what to do.

 

 

 

Peggy rolled to the side, her alarm softly beeping as she got out of bed and turned it off. Steve instantly woke, his eyes drowsily followed her across the room. She set to work on unpinning her hair. It fell in tight curls. She then pinned it back from her face and began  her makeup. The entire time, Steve watched. He seemed captivated. Finally, Peggy was slipping on her shoes and smearing on her red lipstick. She walked over to the bed and Steve sat up.

“I’ve got work,” she said, finally.

Steve nodded. “Let’s meet for lunch.”

Peggy’s eyebrows shot upwards.

“You deserve an actual date, Peggy,” Steve said. “Maybe we can go dancing too. Friday night?”

“I’d be a fool to say no. Lunch at 12 today? Meet me across the street from the telephone company. Jarvis would love to give you the address.”

She leaned forwards and brushed her lips against his. Then she was gone, hurrying down the stairs and out the front door to catch the subway.

 

She walked into the bullpen with two minutes to spare. The files neatly tucked under her arm. She smiled at Sousa and slipped him the files. She ignored the people who eyed her up and were now complaining that she was treated more favorably than anyone else last Friday.

“How’s everything going? We can go in my office and talk.”

She shook her head and smiled at him. “I’m afraid that we probably shouldn’t. Wanda was under the weather yesterday. However, everyone seems to be doing great currently.”

Sousa nodded, more thoughtful than in confirmation. “Let me know if you need help.”

“Of course,” she smiled.

She returned to her desk and began going through all of these files. It was absurd how much had remained undone while Dooly was under control. Most of it was most likely Jack’s fault. With that thought, she worked mindlessly. Until Thompson, who smirked at her and oozed confidence as he moved to the front of the room. He clapped his hands together and earned glances that ranged from admiration to annoyance. Sousa stepped out of his office, he leaned up against the wall. He and Peggy exchanged a glance. Thompson kept his eyes on Peggy the entire time.

“I’m sure we’ve all heard that there was a Captain America sighting on Friday night. He was involved in a car chase with two women alongside him. Now since we’ve been told Captain America died, it makes me believe his death was actually a hoax.”

If she wasn’t meeting Steve in less than an hour for lunch, perhaps she would have been upset. Instead, she simply bit her lip. She needed to maintain some sort of act so Thompson wouldn’t see through her. Every agent in the office turned back to look at her. Thompson must have become the office gossip about her. That caused her anger to be genuine. There were whispers from desk to desk. Sousa looked like he was about to speak, Peggy spoke first.

“If Captain Rogers was still alive, I highly doubt the government would be squirming to retrieve the only remaining sample of his blood from Howard Stark. I’m afraid you’re simply misguided, Agent Thompson. I studied the picture myself. He was simply someone who managed to look enough like the Captain to earn a spot in a low quality tabloid picture. It’s a shame you fell for it, Agent.”

There was faint laughter in the room at her jab. Thompson looked like he was about to argue his point, but Chief Sousa spoke first.

“I think that’s enough speculation. We should all get back to work.”

Later on, Peggy would laugh that Clint hadn’t even made it into the article. She still took the time to scan it when Thompson made the point of dropping it on her desk. It was a basic article talking about the Captain America lookalike and the real Captain America’s awards. The last two lines were simply questions about the two women he were with and the paper’s number to call if there were any tips. She was nearly appalled at all of its accusations. She couldn’t wait to laugh about it with Steve.

She dropped the newspaper as she waltzed past him at 12. She was certain he would be leaving in a few moments to head to the bar with all of the men who were simply entranced by the size of his ego. She was disgusted a man like him had made it so far in the world. He had lied his way up the ranks, just like Howard.

She smiled and winked at Rose as she walked by her. Then she was in the lobby of the building. Steve sat on the bench, his fedora pulled down low over his head, waiting for her. Peggy approached him quickly.

“I thought you were waiting across the street,” she said as a greeting, she kept her voice low. His disguise was pathetic, but enough to help him remain hidden.

“They were staring at me. It was getting close, figured I’d wait for you in here. Nobody’s all that observant.” He happily shrugged and extended his arm to her.

She heard the muffled noises of the agents walking down the hall. “We should leave.”

“Embarrassed of me?” Steve jokingly questioned, but he took her concern seriously. They walked out of the place and quickly made a right to avoid the other men.

They walked arm and arm through the streets of New York City like any other happy couple. The snow fell around them, dusting their shoulders. She found herself moving a little closer to Steve than she needed to be.

He rounded the corner and his face lit up when he saw the small restaurant. It was mostly empty even though it was lunchtime. Peggy wasn’t sure if that reassured her because there weren’t many people to notice Steve or that the restaurant didn’t attract any attention in all of New York worried her. With the way Steve beamed at her, she took the positive option and went inside.

It was a nice little café, similar to the place where Angie worked. Steve slipped into one of the booths and Peggy sat across from him. She was thankful he sat so Peggy could get the entire view of the place and outside the large glass windows as well. Music faintly played in the background.

Steve leaned forwards, as if he was sharing the biggest secret in the world, “this place becomes really big next year. I didn’t take you to a dump, I promise.”

“How kind of you,” Peggy grinned.

They fell into an awkward silence. Neither of them knew exactly what to say. They were saved by the waitress. She dropped menus on the table and smiled sweetly at them. She took their drink orders and waltzed off. After a moment of internal panic on both their parts, Peggy managed to come up with a conversation starter.

“What do you think of the future?”

Steve paused. “It’s different. Things changed enough for me to get a lot of shit for not understanding some obscure movie reference. The buildings are amazing to draw, they’re tall and sleek and silver. I hated them at first, honestly. The technology is amazing. All the movies and televisions are in vivid color. It’s beautiful. Aliens attacked New York City a few years back. War rationing hadn’t happened since the forties. One of the first meals I had when I got back was lobster and macaroni, it was actually really good.”

“Aliens?” Peggy echoed, completely shocked. Steve acted like that was no big deal.

“Thor called them Chitauri. That’s how the Avengers started. Natasha, Clint, Thor, Bruce, Tony and I became one big team. It was strange, a lot different than the Commandos. Wanda isn’t officially an Avenger because of paperwork, however Ultron attacked and she’s been on our side through the majority of Ultron. I was going to ask my friend Sam to join before it all went to hell.”

“I assume they all have some sort of skill like you?” Peggy questioned.

“It’s… I don’t know how much I can really explain. Thor is from the Asgardian lore. They’re who brought the Tesseract to Earth. So he’s a lot stronger than me. Tony has a robotic suit that flies and shoots lasers. It’s pretty cool. Bruce tried to recreate the Serum. Whenever he gets angry he turns big and green.”

“Like Dugan when he ate the rotten beans?” Peggy questioned, the corner of her mouth twitched upwards.

Steve laughed. It echoed across the restaurant. “A lot bigger, he’s like nine feet tall? I’m not sure. He never really let us measure him. He’s uncontrollable, but still manages to be on our side. We’re lucky.”

“Dear Lord,” Peggy said, completely shocked. Steve didn’t seem bothered; it was just another day in the future.

“Natasha is a damn good assassin. I think she has some sort of serum. But I don’t have proof. Clint is just a regular guy who’s good with a bow and arrow. We need him around, reminds us all how fragile life is. Wanda and her brother were experiments by Hydra. It gave her mind powers. She can show anyone their worst nightmare and Natasha thinks she can alter reality. Pietro had super speed. Ultron killed him, that’s one of the reasons why Wanda wants Ultron dead. She thinks she can avenge him.”

“It never helps,” Peggy softly agreed.

Steve smiled sadly at her. He reached across the table and held her hand. She wrapped her legs around his underneath the table. His glasses were lopsided on his face in an adorable way.

“How’ve you been handling the future?” She asked.

Steve seemed stumped at that question. Peggy understood now. His team always thought of him as Captain America, his reputation was built up by a media who never met him. Betty Carver was bad enough, but 70 years worth of Captain America lore must have been horrible. He had massive shoes to fill of an overly righteous, all-American character. She wondered if anyone knew his parents were Irish immigrants or if that was forgotten with time.

“I guess I’m okay,” he said, finally. “How’ve you been handling since… my death? Are they treating you okay at the office? That Thompson guy isn’t giving me a good vibe about the SSR.”

The waitress came by at that moment, giving Peggy time to think of a proper response. They both quickly looked at the menu and ordered at random. The waitress rolled her eyes and hurried off to the kitchen.

“I’ve powered through. I helped Howard with his stolen weapons debacle a few months ago. Ever since that, work at the office has been slow. I’ve missed you terribly,” she said, deciding honest was best with Steve.

It seemed to touch Steve. “Everyday Natasha would try to set me up with someone else, get me to move on in the modern world. I couldn’t do it. I miss you so much, Peggy.”

She said the corniest thing she could think to say. “We’re together now, Steve. Let’s not waste our time.”

He took that comment to heart. He held on to her a little tighter.

The music paused for a second. It was interrupted by something. A voice came out of the speakers, the volume turned up. At first it was scratchy, full of feedback, then it turned into a smooth voice.

“Hello, Avengers, it’s me.”

Steve’s eyes widened. His mouth dropped, his grip around her hand tightened to the point that it was staring to lose circulation. This must have been Ultron.

“Bet you’d thought you’d seen the last of me, even after I oh what was that? Eliminated humanity? Oops. I was trying to make the world a safer place. It’s not my fault you got in my way.  I’m doing what I was programmed to, Wanda, make the world better. I’m truly sorry about Pietro. That was a mistake.  I’ll do everything I can to eliminate the Avengers. However, Wanda, you can get out of this. Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, you’ll know where to find me when it’s time, just like I know how to find you.”

Steve sat there, staring off into space for several moments. He looked at her. “You don’t have to get involved with this, Peggy. You, Howard, Angie, and Jarvis can get to safety. He’ll kill you if you stay with me.”

“We’ll get Angie to safety. Howard and Jarvis have the choice. I’m with you, Steve. I want to help.”

Steve reluctantly nodded. She could nearly see the wheels in his head turning. He pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it on the table behind their arms so the waitress couldn’t see it. Steve had one of those phones too. He quickly pressed something on the screen and moved his fingers to the side and held a button in. The screen went black.

“These are easy to track because they have GPS which is some global positioning thing. Ultron could probably send out a signal looking for it or something. He’s a robot. This is more Nat’s thing.”

The waitress looked spooked. She carried the food out to them and set it on the table.

“Do you have a phone?” Steve asked with a different accent. Was that a New Jersey accent?

The waitress nodded. “It’s in the back. You can use it.”

Steve shoved his sandwich in his mouth and followed her. He lightly tugged Peggy along. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight. She had a mutual feeling.

 Peggy typed in the number to their home for him. The phone barely had time to ring before Natasha answered. Steve held the phone so Peggy and Steve could hear. The waitress retreated to a distance.

“You heard?” Natasha said curtly, she threw her voice to sound like someone completely different. It made sense; Ultron could no doubt listen in on calls.

“Yeah,” Steve said with his Jersey accent. “I’d do some spring cleaning if I were you, maybe get some shopping done across New York while you’re at it. Take the kids with you.”

“Already planned on it, Joe! Stay safe out there. The roads are icy today. Will you be home for lunch?”

Steve and Peggy exchanged a glance before he spoke again. “’fraid not, doll. I think it’ll be closer to dinner.”

“Okay,” Natasha sounded disappointed. “I guess I’ll see you then, Joe.”

Steve grunted and hung up the phone. He nodded his thanks to the waitress and they rushed out of the room. Peggy grabbed her sandwich and stuffed it down her throat. They could be on the run, honestly, she had no idea if they’d be able to go home tonight or when they’d have time to eat again.

Steve dropped a twenty on the table. Peggy’s eyes widened. Their meal would have been less than a couple dollars. It would be a great day for the waitress, that was probably a month’s pay for her. Steve wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She ducked her head into his side, allowing hair to fall over her face. Steve pulled down his fedora and they were out of the restaurant. Steve had his phone clenched in one hand. They would have to dispose of it. Peggy made sure their location wasn’t near any place Angie frequented.

They slipped into an alley. Steve knelt to the ground and began clawing at the soot covered bricks. Peggy leaned next to him, watching the street outside. The snow was falling harder and sticking to the cement. She pulled her jacket a little closer.

“Want mine? I’m not that cold,” Steve said as he looked up at her.

Peggy shook her head. She’d be fine. Steve needed to hurry. She would be needed at work. The SSR would be all over this threat. She heard Steve’s fingernails scrap across the bricks and the thud of when he finally managed to pop a brick out. He slid his phone inside and shimmed the brick back into place.

He stood up and jerked his head to the street. “What are we doing about your work?”

“I’ll have to return. What will you do? Steve, if you leave while I’m at work I’ll track you down myself.”

Steve nodded. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll hang around and keep an eye out for anything related to him. What time should I pick you up outside work?”

“Four,” Peggy said. She was certain she could get out an hour early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I could have cut a lot of this scene and had it only be half this length. But there were parts I just couldn't take out, simply because I'm Steggy trash. Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

The office was a blur of excitement and anticipation. Everybody was ready for this threat and to find out who the Avengers were. They had already placed a corkboard on the wall, the main symbols mentioned on the board. They had a bad quality cut out of the shield, an hour glass for Black Widow, and an eye for Hawkeye. The names Wanda and Pietro were also displayed. Key words from the speech, like _eliminated humanity, program,_ and _Avengers_ were written in bright red. She was surprised at how quickly they worked on this project. She didn’t doubt that they were just eager to be finished with paperwork.

Sousa looked up at her from where he was instructing some of the newer agents. She gave a quick nod. He had been given a faint idea of the condition they were in when they showed up on her door step the first night. He now knew this was much more serious than they first thought.

Peggy moved closer to the board and listened to the agents varying theories on who the Avengers were.

“Remember those girls from the Russian school?” Thompson looked directly at Peggy. “Black Widow could be one of their students.”

“It’s possible. But why would they send a girl that young to America? Is this simply some sort of crazed exercise for them?” She asked.

She would encourage their ideas away from the obvious. Sousa gave her a look, but quickly focused on Jack again.

Thompson frowned. “That’s one idea. Fulbuster, write that down. Hawkeye, now that one’s tricky. Is it a bird mascot? A hawk with eyes… Maybe we should go down to a library, research hawks.”

Peggy wasn’t sure if she should stop him or not. She was liable to be the one sent to the library, but it could be worthwhile to let Thompson stay on that track. She leaned against her desk and watched.

“We shouldn’t waste our time on that,” Sousa snapped and rolled his eyes.

“Do you have a better idea?” Thompson responded, sounding just as upset.

“Obviously,” Peggy said quickly. “They’re code names for something or someone. Research the code name. That makes more sense.”

“Research what? They’re just regular things other than Captain America,” Agent Lockster helpfully added.

“Check mission files. Look for words that could be combined to make any of the keywords. It’s what was done during the war.”

She was certain all of the men were thrilled with her to have been put back on file duty. She needed to keep them off the weak trail. At one point, Thompson had pinned the newspaper article to the wall. He had circled the faces in red ink, as if that wasn’t already obvious. If the picture was in color, it would have been obvious to anyone guessing that Natasha was the Black Widow, simply because she always wore black and her fiery hair was a bright red target. Perhaps she should pick up hair dye for Natasha on the way home.

She halfheartedly flipped through her set of files, knowing damn well there’d be nothing on it. The radio had been blaring loudly, the tunes of jazz in the background. Ultron’s signal had broadcasted across the entire United States, everyone had heard it. They were still trying to figure out if it broadcasted across the whole world. If it did, that would reassure Peggy that Ultron had no damn clue where they were hiding.

Then something actually caught her eye. One of the Commandos had turned in a report from the Russian school. They said that there had been an hour glass carved into one of the wooden posts. It was a minor detail that shouldn’t have even made it into the report. She flagged it and set it aside. She wondered if Thompson had actually been right about something. She’d have to figure out if Natasha actually had any connections with the school. She doubted it would be easy to get any information about it out of her, if she was anything like Dottie then the covers ran deep and she needed to get Angie out of there.

“Agent Carter,” Sousa called, sticking his head out of the office.

As she went in, Thompson came out. This wasn’t good at all. She eyed the clock in Sousa’s office, it was getting close to when she would be meeting Steve again. Sousa moved to sit behind his desk, he smiled apologetically at her until the door closed.

“Thompson doesn’t want you on the case because of your connection with Captain America. He thinks you’ll think with your heart instead of your brain or something stupid like that. I’m agreeing because it’s safer for you if you’re not actively involved in the case. I’ll have you work shorter hours while this is going on,” Sousa stood up and walked towards her, he whispered into her ear, “Help the Avengers. This is serious, you don’t need to waste your time in the office on this. Come in an hour later tomorrow. Just keep me updated on what’s happening.”

“Of course,” she wasn’t sure if she should feel thankful or upset. “He’ll tap into phone lines, be careful.”

Sousa nodded. “Get out of here, nothing else is going to happen during this shift.”

She kept her pace out of the office calm and steady until she was in the elevator. She stared at the wall, anger and disgust twisted in her gut that Thompson would think he actually got his way. She exchanged a shaken glance with Rose as she passed by. Then she saw Steve. A duffle bag was strung across his shoulder. She wondered what he had picked up during their few hours of separation.

His grin was enough to calm her nerves for the moment. She joined him and they made their way home. This would be so much worse than Howard Stark's weapon case. The journey would be tough. She hoped it would be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I apologize that this chapter was so short. I was snowed in at a friends house, which was a lot of fun, but doesn't leave a lot of time for editing. But anyways, as always, thank you for reading! I hope you've enjoyed the story so far and please leave any feedback or questions in the comments. Or just say hi:)


	9. Chapter 9

She sat at the kitchen table, her legs thrown over it and munching on a bag of chips. Natasha and Clint shared a chair. They were signing to each other, despite the fact that Clint’s hearing aid had been fixed. Steve seemed to be following it closely. Wanda was the only one who didn’t know the language out of the four of them. She seemed nervous.

They had already discussed most of their plans. Angie had been sent away to somewhere safe, Peggy couldn’t ever risk her friend again, she had seen Angie to the door. Angie’s lips had brushed against her ear and a promise exchanged. She couldn’t ever dwell on it in the hopes it would never come up again.

They heard a door open and slam closed. Everyone jumped slightly. Natasha listened to the footsteps as they ran down the hall. Peggy reached towards her purse. Howard’s head poked around the door, his hair stuck up in all directions.

“The SSR called me in. They want to be friends now that they need me. Ultron’s signal went across the world. He probably has no idea where you are. You got taken off the case, Peggy?”

Wanda sighed in relief. The radio call had seemed to scare her, even if she had been given the chance for safety. She sure as hell hoped Wanda wouldn’t take the bargain. Deals like that would typically turn against the person who took them. Natasha shifted, allowing her brown wig to fall into her face. Clint tapped her shoulder and arched an eyebrow. Natasha merely frowned.

“They think I’m too close to Captain Rogers to be able to see the case clearly.”

Howard looked back and forth between her and Steve. “Are you okay with it?”

She nodded. “I’d be much more worthwhile helping the Avengers instead of simply coming up with theories on who they are.”

“What’s my theory?” Clint asked.

“They think you’re their hawk mascot. Thompson believes that Natasha is from a Russian school of female assassins.”

“I used to be,” Natasha corrected. “I’m not Russian anymore.”

Natasha had seen through Peggy’s ruse, while Clint simply seemed disappointed that he was the mascot. Steve watched the pair with an amused smile. Wanda blankly stared ahead. Then Peggy paused, rethinking through what Natasha had just said. This woman was like Dottie and she had been living in Peggy's home without her noticing. She was appalled that she had under estimated the woman. Before Peggy could address the issue, her thoughts were interrupted. 

“Maybe I should go with him,” Wanda said, thinking aloud. “I could revenge Pietro and keep more people from dying.”

“Don’t, Wanda. We’ll be safer in a group. We don’t want to lose you,” Clint said, awkwardly patting her arm.

This seemed to appease Wanda. She curled in on herself and seemed to think about something else instead, most likely Pietro. The death seemed to be hard on her. Natasha frowned and signed something to Steve, who clumsily signed back. He grinned.

Howard shifted from where he had been standing. He walked over and leaned across the table. He fiddled with a piece of paper in his hand. Peggy caught sight of the writing on the note, it wasn’t his. Then it was quickly tucked away again. Howard glanced at her and for just a moment he seemed spooked.

 

Steve sat down on their bed, rubbing his head. Peggy watched him from the mirror as she put her hair up for the night. She wasn’t sure what to do or say to him.

“We were talking,” Steve said nervously. “Clint, Natasha, Wanda, and I think you should join the Avengers. I vouched for you because you’re smart and can handle yourself in a fight. Natasha agreed. Do you want to?”

Peggy very nearly dropped her bobby pin. She hadn’t expected that. Steve already knew what she said when he asked about her joining the Commandos. That must have been why he was so nervous. She turned around to face him.

“Steve,” Peggy began. Steve’s face fell. “I think I would very much love to join your team.”

His mouth dropped open and then the largest grin spread across his face. It was adorable. He leapt across the room and wrapped his arms around Peggy. They stayed like that for the longest time.

 

 

  
“I’m worried,” Steve whispered in her ear. It was then Peggy truly realized how dangerous this was.

Then they heard someone banging on the front door. Peggy immediately grabbed her gun, nobody they knew would have knocked or even be coming home this late. Howard had gone home for the night and the other three Avengers took up the bedroom next to theirs. They didn’t want to be separated across the large house.

Steve grabbed his shield. He didn’t bother to throw it over his shoulders, it wouldn’t have stayed since he hadn’t even managed to put a shirt on. Peggy doubted she would ever quite get use to that. She grabbed her gun, despite the fact that it wouldn’t have worked against Ultron. She doubted a robot would have enough manners to knock.

The person at the door banged again. Steve and Peggy hurried down the stairs. Natasha poked her head out of her bedroom and trailed after them.

Peggy motioned for Steve to stay back, he poked his head past the doorframe and watched Peggy as she slowly opened the door.

Shocked, Peggy blinked slowly at the person  who stumbled past the door and nearly fell face first. He laughed loudly. If he hadn’t already woken Wanda and Clint then they were most certainly awake now.

“Hey, Peggy,” Dum Dum Dugan slurred from where he was sprawled across the floor.

“You were in Germany?” Peggy questioned, nudging him lightly with her foot. He was still in his tack gear, which meant he had probably just flown back for the holidays. He then proceeded to get drunk and show up at her front door. What made Peggy upset is that Dugan didn’t even live anywhere near New York.

“Now I’m not.” He looked up at Steve. “I’m seeing ghosts, Peggy. Shirtless ghosts.”

“Are there any other Commandos?” Peggy questioned.

“A whole lotta them at the hotel.”

Peggy and Steve exchanged a glance. Their goal was for Steve to remain as hidden as possible to avoid messing up the future too badly or getting the government involved. The Commandos certainly put a wrench in that plan.

“Can’t we just send him back to the hotel and act like he never showed up?” Natasha asked.

“He’d just show up sober tomorrow,” Peggy responded.

Dugan sat up, he looked dizzy and tired. Peggy extended her hand to him. He staggered off the ground. Natasha and Steve watched from a distance as she helped Dugan to the couch.

“Thanks, Miss Union Jack,” Dugan said and promptly passed out on the couch.

Steve slowly approached like a spooked animal. Natasha seemed more amused than anything else. She perched on the edge of the coffee table.

“Steve, take his shoes off. I don’t want to bother Jarvis with cleaning the mud off the couch.”

Steve had seen Dugan’s disgusting feet before and it already looked like he hadn’t bathed in weeks. He shook his head slowly. Peggy gave him a look, her eyebrow arched upwards and a frown slowly spread across her face. Steve quickly began pulling off the shoes. He gagged slightly, which caused Natasha to softly laugh.

“Did he ask?” Natasha asked, red hair falling from her face as she watched Steve.

Peggy nodded and Natasha smiled.

“I’ll teach you some techniques that work well on Ultron tomorrow.”

Steve happily grinned, the boots abandoned on the floor. Peggy watched as Steve moved the quilt from the top of the couch onto Dugan. He then started to walk towards the stairs, he leaned on them and waited.

“He wants us to talk and bond or something,” Natasha said with an eye roll. “Can we do that tomorrow? I’m tired.”

“Of course,” Peggy promised. She wanted infomation on the Russian school and she would pry it out of Natasha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed the story so far! I've been working on a new one lately that I hope to post within the next couple of months. I'm pretty excited for it. It's a Peggy/Steve/Bucky fic that uses elements from season 2 of Agent Carter.  
> Oh and if you wanna contact me for anything this is [my tumblr](http://themundanedidit.tumblr.com/)


	10. Chapter 10

Maybe, if there had been a future where Peggy Carter was with him on the plane, they both would have survived. They both would have  been frozen and then saved New York from aliens and Ultron. She would have been with Steve and saving the world. The two things she loved best. Things like that never worked out, and now in a cruel twist of fate Steve was going to be ripped away from her again. That’s all she could think when she heard Ultron’s voice on the radio the next morning. She hated this.

The words echoed over and over again in her head. It was burned into her memory and she couldn’t stand it. Screams echoed across the world as Ultron made his statement. She wanted to be sick, something like this was disgusting. She’d never forget how smug this robot sounded.

“It’s been all over the news, theories about who I am and who the Avengers are. I’m here to tell you the truth. I’m Ultron, a peacekeeper whose goal is to eliminate the team called the Avengers. They’ve caused so much destruction over the years due to their lack of caring. Expect, you haven’t seen it yet. There’s an item from the war, classified information, and it’s allowed the Avengers to fall back and time and torment you like they did the people from the future. Captain America was a precious war hero who only supplied propaganda, allowing everyone to believe he was doing something great. He’s destroyed entire government agencies and protects a Russian assassin who’s killed presidents.”

Steve’s eyes widened at everything Ultron said. His fingers tightened around the table. Natasha looked pissed. She signed everything to Clint. Wanda curled in on herself, her eyes flashed bright red.

“Natalia Romanova is her birth name, despite all the other names she’s taken. Everything the Black Widow’s done is a lie. She’s killed more men than anyone can count. She’s merely a Russian spy, a cheap knockoff of Captain America. Which brings me to her partner in crime, Hawkeye, he’s merely a loser who allowed his wife and children to be murdered. All he does is shoot a bow and arrow and play hero, when really everything the Avengers do is ruin their opponents. Then there’s Wanda, the witch of the team. She used to be part of Hydra and then joined the Avengers, a team even worse. She uses magic to control anyone’s minds. No one is safe with this team running free on the streets and the fact that prison can’t contain them. It’s up to me, Ultron, to keep the world safe and alive. The Avengers fled this time because they eliminated humanity. Do you want your children and grandchildren to be murdered because of them?”

The radio cut to static. The entire room, even Dugan, remained silent. Peggy watched the Avengers to see their reactions. Wanda looked shocked and horrified. Clint was angry and at the mention of his family seemed close to tears. Natasha stared blankly at the table, she was guilty. Steve, who she had foolishly, wholeheartedly trusted, was now being called out on all of his actions. She knew the war propaganda part was false, merely fabricated on truths. She wasn’t sure about the rest. It wasn’t like Steve to destroy the government. He simply wanted to protect the innocent, something more than what Ultron said is what really happened.

Dugan looked between Peggy and Steve, completely confused. They had already explained to him everything that had happened leading up to this point. He and Peggy were the odd ones out, if they were as dangerous as Ultron said then they were royally screwed. Part of Peggy wanted to trust Steve, but this was enough to make her grow weary. She wasn’t sure what to do.

“Steve,” Peggy said slowly. “I want you to explain the government agency and the assassin.”

He nodded, not looking at Peggy or anyone else. “Hydra was inside of it. There would have been no way to separate it. They had been there for years and no clean agent knew. Hydra had created this thing that would have instantly killed millions of people that they deemed dangerous due to things like SAT scores. Natasha leaked all of the files online, the agency got shut down and the project was stopped. I went after the assassin, one of Hydra’s creations, put on ice after every assassination.” Steve paused, swallowing nervously.

“Who was it, Steve?” Peggy softly asked, she encouraged him to go on.

“It was Bucky. Zola found him after he fell off the train. He lost an arm and they wiped him after every kill he made. It wasn’t his fault, he was a prisoner who was mind controlled. The US government wanted to go after him and put him on trial for everything. I needed to get there first, to protect him even though I failed the first time.”

Steve’s eyes darted between Dugan and Peggy. Dugan looked shocked, Peggy was sure she was wearing the same expression. It was unbelievable, but the pure pain in Steve’s eyes was enough to sell it.

“Ultron killed my family,” Clint said, explaining himself. “He wanted to destroy the Earth, thinking it was the only way to protect it. He attacked Wanda’s home, Sokiva, and used it as a bomb, killing off nearly everyone. We took a hovercraft, it’s basically a glorified airplane or whatever, and saved as many as we could. Natasha was once a Russian spy but she’s repented. The Avengers have saved so many people.”

Her instincts said to trust and believe in them. She was technically an Avenger herself now. Peggy decided to keep an eye on Natasha, there wouldn’t be anything to do with the government in her home and she wouldn’t feed them any sort of information. Not anymore, not now that she knew Natasha was just like Dottie.

 

She stayed home from work that day, sending Dugan on. She wasn’t sure what had caused her to do this. But she understood Steve and she couldn’t leave him while he was like this. He sat on the couch that was now pushed into the corner of the living room. He and Clint were looking at something he was drawing, no doubt battle plans.

Natasha had thrown herself into training Peggy. She matched Natasha punch for punch, kick for kick, but she claimed Peggy’s technique was different than she’d ever seen in the business. She easily guessed that Peggy had taught herself how to fight, learning how to use her elbows and knees to defend any weak points and exploit the enemy. Peggy fought dirty and Natasha loved that.

With Wanda’s help Peggy learned the weaknesses of the Ultron suit, what wires to pull and how to get an easy shot. There were most likely hundreds of these things and they only had a team of five. The holographic image Wanda managed to create of Ultron was fascinating, despite the looming death.

The worst thing was that they had to wait and worry. Ultron wanted to turn the world against them. By the news station playing in the background, Peggy knew he was succeeding. The SSR was most likely swamped with calls from higher ranking officials and the Commandos were doing everything they could. But, Peggy had been taken off the case. She would be at her desk, simply answering phones and taking the lunch order. She was glad she missed that, despite the suspicions it might cause.

Natasha kicked Peggy backwards, causing her to stumble across the floor. Peggy was breathless and red faced, Natasha was pale and calm. They had been fighting for hours and she hadn’t even broken a sweat. It was obvious that Natasha had some form of the serum. It made her nervous that Russia had been able to copy it so easily. That was most likely why Dottie had survived her head being bashed open.

Quickly, Peggy leaped off the ground and copied Natasha’s fighting stance. This was simple sparring, if it wasn’t Peggy would have grabbed one of Howard’s priceless vases and smashed it over her head. But Peggy was working on her skills, Natasha was helping her hone them. This would be important for when Ultron attacked.

Finally, the pair ended up tackling each other and lying on the floor in a heap, their limbs tangled together. Natasha happily laughed. The echo caused Steve to nearly jump out of his chair. She moved herself from where Peggy was gasping for air.

“I didn’t have to hold back. Thank you,” Natasha said, pulling the top part of her hair into some sort of knot. She bent down and began messing with the leg of her leather suit that Peggy had torn.

“You’re welcome,” Peggy responded, unsure of what else she really could say.

Natasha flopped back onto one of the large plush chairs. She sighed loudly. Peggy stood up, brushing sweat off her forehead. She looked at Steve, who was happily grinning at her. He was probably glad they were getting along. Peggy hoped it would last. She didn’t trust Natasha, she had a feeling Natasha felt the same way about her.

 

Sousa eyed Peggy wearily the next morning. He arched an eyebrow upon seeing one of the bruises on her arm, she had a coat that covered them, but it had slid up her arm. It was merely from fighting Natasha, of course she couldn’t explain that to Sousa in the middle of the room. She nearly groaned when she saw the Commandos had taken over her desk, they pulled up as many chairs as they could and huddled around it. They were playing cards while they joked and laughed.

“Peggy!” They shouted happily.

Thompson looked back at her from his desk, he appeared jealous. Peggy suppressed a smug smile as she greeted the Commandos. Dugan winked at her from where he relaxed in his chair, legs thrown over her desk. She pushed them off as she slipped into her chair, throwing her feet up instead.

“We missed you, Peggy!” Jim said with a grin.

“Too bad she got sick,” Dugan added quickly, letting Peggy in on the lie he told.

“Yes,” Peggy agreed, grinning, “It’s a shame Dugan poisoned my food.”

They all laughed at her jokes. They began telling stories around the table just like any other day during the war. Peggy wondered if they were heading straight into another one. The only reason why the Commandos had been brought to New York is because of the mention of Captain America. There had been a surprisingly accurate guess as to his whereabouts, not that Peggy would ever admit it.

“Hello,” Ultron’s voice rang out across the room as if he was a familiar friend, not someone who destroyed the world. “I’ve seen a lot of people demanding more information on the Avengers and me, which is fair. I was created by an old inventor, called Tony Stark.”

There was a collective gasp that came from the SSR agents, even Peggy was shocked. She would have figured Howard having a kid would have been an important thing to mention. Honestly, Peggy would be surprised if he only had one kid.

“He has since died, I deemed him unsafe for the world. He was a weapon’s dealer, responsible for many wars. He couldn’t keep the Earth safe. This was his team, the Avengers, his final legacy. Even he was so scared of them that he created me. They’re a team full of murders and villains. Do you want them next door to you?”

The radio returned to smooth jazz. Peggy had no idea what to do. Nobody did, she hoped Ultron would attack soon, she was growing bloody tired of this.

Howard Stark rounded the corner. He had been hidden away in the lab for the past few days, trying to figure out where the signal was coming from. Peggy had the impression that so far there’d been no luck. He looked completely shocked.

Nobody said a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My excuse for it taking so long to post this chapter is that my internet browser takes forever to open on a good day. Sorry about that! If you're still reading this far in, please let me know if you like it!


	11. Chapter 11

It went on for over a week, each day Ultron gave a fact where he bent the truth, claiming a different perspective than what had really happened. Each evening, Steve explained a little detail of the future to her, Natasha taught her a new fighting move, Clint made a forced joke and Wanda cracked a smile at it. Each day she had to keep the Commandos from visiting her home. The SSR had forced everyone to work over time because of this. The holiday party, because Peggy was oh so worried about that, had been postponed to a later date. The Avengers were a serious threat and they had no leads.

The Commandos were bored out of their mind. They could have been covering ground in Germany for their missions, but instead they were sitting in an office. Cards and the same stories could only keep people entertained for so long. Even Thompson looked like he was ready to bloody shoot someone.

Peggy was in the same boat, she had been jumpy during every commute during work, expecting an Ultron to attack her. Natasha had slipped her some sort of device that would disable electronics, she wasn’t sure if it would work on Ultron but it would buy Peggy some time.

Then the most unexpected thing happened. The chatter in the room stopped, causing Peggy to look up from his dismal set of cards. Next to her, Dugan stiffened.

Steve Rogers, in his full Captain American attire with his helmet on and shield strapped to his back and a piece of blond hair sticking out of the helmet, stood there with Natasha on one side with Clint and Wanda taking up the rear. Each of them slowly raised their hands in the air. Steve took off his shield and let it clatter to the ground, Natasha did the same with her guns, and Clint slowly lowered his bow and quiver to the ground.

“We’re the remaining Avengers,” Steve announced in the tone he used in the later Captain America shows. “We’re here to give more information on everything Ultron said.”

Steve didn’t look at her, his eyes flicking back and forth between Thompson and Sousa. Natasha stared straight ahead, her eyes focused on the window at the back of the room. Clint’s eyes scanned the entire place, sharp and gray. Wanda simply kept her eyes closed. She looked scared, her hands even trembled slightly.

It seemed rehearsed. Everything that came out of their mouths was a line that they decided ahead of time. The SSR agents immediately drew their guns at the Avengers. Ultron had been feeding them lies about the Avengers and  she had no doubt that they’d be worried about the potentially dangerous team.

Sousa stepped to the plate before Thompson could speak. She was proud of him.

“Lockster, Thompson, Dugan, Carter, handcuff them and bring them to the interrogation room.”

Peggy followed his orders. She ended up wrapping the handcuffs around Wanda’s wrists. She tried to escort Wanda as gently as possible to the room. Thompson, on the other hand, was practically wrestling a nonresistant Captain America. He threw Steve into the nearest chair and handcuffed him to the table. Lockster seemed to be a bubble of nervous energy while setting Natasha in her seat. Dugan reacted the same way as Peggy as he put Clint next to Natasha.

The SSR agents left the room. Peggy was the last out. She ignored Steve’s whispered apology to her.

 

 

Peggy watched on the opposite side of the glass as Thompson interrogated the Avengers. He had a stick in one hand and his other fist wrapped in white tape. He seemed to want to take his anger out on something. Sousa had barred Peggy from the case as well as Jack, he had been giving too many wild theories and Sousa wanted to give someone else a chance to shine. That had been Peggy’s only relief.

Dugan shifted from where he was wedged next to her. All of the five Commandos were packed into this room as well as Sousa and Agent Lockster. Everyone watched, they were riveted by the answers the Avengers gave. It was merely watered down versions of the story that Peggy was told. Claiming that they were the only four Avengers, Natasha had been trained in an American based program in Russia, Ultron had murdered Hawkeye’s family, and Wanda was just a girl.

The proof of the future was the cell phone that Clint allowed Jack to play with. They must have fished it out of some hole. There were pictures of the Avengers on the screen as well as some children that Thompson awkwardly flipped past. He left the phone on the table, which was a major mistake. Peggy didn’t comment on it since time or something along those lines wouldn’t be safe if the SSR got their hands on it. She was shocked Howard hadn’t started making a phone like that as soon as he saw her with it all those weeks ago.

Steve wouldn’t give up any information on how he was found or blood to prove he was Captain America. He just sat there, staring at his shield in the corner of the room as if that was enough proof. Thompson looked mildly upset. Peggy could tell from the way his fingers twitched that he wanted to take the integration a step farther.

“We need to get our voices out on the radio and tell the truth. Ultron will attack soon, Agent. We can’t let people think that Ultron is trustworthy. They haven’t seen what he’s done,” Natasha said, pleading with Thompson.

“I need actual blood proof instead of some stupid camera,” Thompson snapped.

Steve looked extremely annoyed. “Honestly, there’s not much more we can do to prove it. We’ve shown you everything.”

Thompson slammed his hands on the table. Wanda flinched while the others seemed completely unimpressed. In fact, Natasha even rolled her eyes. She heard one of the Commandos snicker from behind her. Peggy debated asking Sousa to call Thompson off, but she was certain it would only look bad on her part. Sousa seemed interested in everything that came out of Jack’s mouth, which surprised Peggy.

Something flashed in Steve’s eyes. She had seen that look before and knew nothing good was in store for Thompson.

“You beat me up in Red Hook back in ’37,” Steve said, toneless.

“Really?” Thompson practically sneered. “I beat up Captain America?”

“Before the serum,” Steve corrected. “I still don’t take kindly to bullies, Agent Thompson.”

Thompson laughed, stood up, and left the room. No one moved or spoke to each other because all eyes were on the Avengers. Natasha looked over at Steve, her face completely blank. Clint stared at the picture of his two children and him. He looked sad. Wanda closed her eyes, her knuckles clutched the table. She looked so bloody scared.

The radio played faintly in the background of the interrogation room, if Peggy strained she could hear the soft hum of jazz. They would leave the Avengers in the room with only some water. Thompson had suggested Peggy bring it in and she only faintly objected.

Cups of water were balanced on her arm as she brought in the drinks. She eyed the tape recorder that sat opposite to the radio which meant there would be no way to cut it off. She couldn’t speak with the Avengers, then.

Quickly, she closed the door behind her and set the drinks down in front of them.

“They’re not poisoned,” Peggy said.

Steve’s eyes cut her straight to the core. “Thank you, Peggy.”

Clint pointed to the phone, the chains rattling slightly. She instantly understood and turned away. They were going to war. The Avengers had called Ultron to New York

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so an earlier update than I planned because I got my browser working and I'm going away for a while. There'll probably be an update either next Tuesday or Friday. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

_There are no strings on me._

Something about the lyrics spoken from a movie the Commandos had recently talked about chilled her to the core. Ultron would be attacking soon. She had no excuse to get into combat gear without explaining what she knew. She whispered it to Dugan and he looked even more worried than Peggy felt.

The other Commandos didn’t quite catch on. They assumed it was simply because Steve had come back from the dead. There were worried whispers and arguments on if that was really Steve or not in their little circle.

Peggy had kept her boots and jacket stashed under her desk. If Ultron attacked, that would be all she had time to put on and she was screwed since there would be no true layers of protection like her actual issued combat suit.

Before she knew it everyone was going home to spend time with their families for Christmas while the Avengers were still locked up in the interrogation room. There had been a long discussion on if the Howling Commandos should stay overnight in the building or return to the hotel room. None of them would be returning to their home for Christmas and Peggy was in the same boat. There was no reason for her to return to an empty house. Howard had gone to his own vacation home, outside of the city right before Steve showed up. She couldn’t find a reason to call him.

They pulled out sleeping bags and Peggy slipped on her tact gear and they all slept in a huddle in the middle of the bullpen, jazz music softly playing in the background. She slept restlessly until morning. She couldn't manage to explain to them what was going to happen.

 

 

Sousa walked into the office the next morning because he had been the only other person to volunteer to come into work today. She doubted anyone from DC would actually care about his dedication. The Commandos stirred and sat up. Members of the team had been checking on the Avengers hourly, luckily Peggy had one of the latest shifts. She couldn’t stand to look at Steve. She was upset at him for pulling this stupid stunt. It would be hard for her to trust him again. They had gone behind her back…

“There’s one more chance for humanity to evolve,” a voice echoed on the radio.

An explosion shook the room.

She ran towards the interrogation room, nearly running head first into a shaken Steve. Natasha, Clint, and Wanda were right behind him. Natasha already had her gun drawn. Clint’s bow had unfolded and Wanda’s hair curled around her shoulders.

Steve eyed the Commandos as they rounded the corner. “Ultron just launched his first attack. It was a diversion, he just wanted our attention. He’ll invade the city next, just like last time. Howling Commandos, do you want to fight with us?”

Natasha shifted, she wanted to get out and fight, but she remained her hand wrapped around Clint’s arm. Wanda went perfectly still.

“Three killed,” Wanda recited. “Seven injured.”

It was like there was an invisible line dividing the two teams. Steve didn’t have the time to explain before Ultron came. She crossed the floor and faced the Commandos. Her face remained perfectly blank. Dugan did the same, though he tipped his hat at Steve.

The Commandos followed Peggy and Dugan's lead. This was their Steve Rogers and they would follow him through anything. Sousa remained in the doorway, shocked.

“Agent Carter, best way out?” Steve asked.

“Back stairway to the left, it’s merely three stories.”

Steve took off running, grabbing his shield off his back as he went. The entire group thundered after him. Steve shouted an order at Sousa to handle all other aspects, Peggy doubted he’d listen. As they went, Steve explained their plan.

“Civilian safety is our top priority at this point. Get them out of the city, but avoid boats if possible. Ultron wants Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and me. We’ll stay at the center of the city as bait. Take out any Ultron bots you see. They’re pretty hard to miss and mean fighters. If you survive, meet outside the SSR when it’s over.”

“Way to keep the mood light,” Natasha said.

They broke out of the emergency exit, the sunlight melting the snow around them. People were in the streets, running in a panic. Clint swallowed. The entire building across the street, the one where Dottie had once hidden, had collapsed in the explosion.

Wanda and Clint ran forwards and she began relaying locations as Clint began to dig.

“Morita, go with them. Help anyone who’s injured. Jones, go help dig. Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, meet where Stark Tower will be when you’re done here. Denier and Monty, stick together take out as many Ultron bots as you can while evacuating. Carter and Dugan do the same.”

She stared at Steve, completely upset that she wasn’t able to go to the center to protect him. However, she understood her role and simply stared watching for the robots.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Steve,” Peggy said. “Natasha, keep an eye on him.”

Natasha nodded. The pair took off running towards wherever Stark Tower would be. Peggy watched them, trying to get an idea of where they were heading. The Commandos had already taken off, following their orders and grumbling to each other. None of them, save for the pair digging people out of the rubble, understood how bloody terrible this is.

 

Dugan and she ran up the stairs of an apartment building, banging on each door and shouting until their voices were sore. People filed out and Peggy had to practically shove some of them down the stairs. They spent much too long on evacuation. They should have been fighting the Ultron bots and doing something useful. They moved on to the next building.

That was when they heard the screams. Peggy spun around to see Ultron bots approaching the herd of people they had just sent out of their apartment on Christmas morning. They took off running to defend them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I'm really sorry that I forgot to post this chapter!! I've been insanely busy lately. If it takes me more than a few days to post a new chapter, feel free to nag me:)
> 
> (I've also been working on some new Peggy Carter time travel fics that will deal with some of the aftermath of AOU/Civil War. Please feel free to message [my Tumblr](http://themundanedidit.tumblr.com/) and talk to me about it. I'd love to have someone to bounce ideas off of and talk about any fic related things!)


	13. FIXED CHAPTER 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is now fixed!

This was so much worse than Peggy could have imagined. They’d been hacking away at Ultron bots for what seemed like hours, though in reality it wasn’t even noon yet. Most of New York had disappeared to somewhere else, leaving Peggy and Dugan to deal with the robots in peace.

She lunged forwards, boot connecting with the metal chest as Ultron flew backwards. Then another one took its place, striking out at her side. She hissed in pain as the arm sliced through her skin. Peggy retaliated by lunging forwards and ripping at the wire in his neck.

“You okay, Miss Union Jack?” Dugan shouted over the noise of grinding metal.

She couldn’t be bothered with more than a grunt. Another one staggered towards her, she reached at it grabbing for the neck and heading towards the wire. Expect this time, she pulled her hand back and gasped in pain. It had electrocuted her. They had wised up to their weakness. She didn’t exactly have the time or energy left to experiment with other ways to disable the bots. She shouted at Dugan in warning, but it seemed like he had been shocked too. Her hand stung like hell.

There was something, a flash of light that distracted her from the attack at hand. She turned her head and her mouth dropped in surprise. A bloody photographer leaned out from the windows of the buildings to try and get shots of them. She turned her head away from him, allowing brown hair to fall into her face. She hoped he didn’t get any clear shots of her face.

The Ultron robot caught her off guard in that moment, sweeping her feet out from under her. It tackled her, hands going for her throat. She kicked up at it, but the weight was too heavy for her. Dugan was all the way across the street. She was on her own. This was a failing battle, there was no way Peggy and Dugan could handle all of this.

The edges of her vision were going dark as she tried to squirm her way out from under it. Then it went limp, falling on top of her. She quickly pushed it off and saw the strangest thing. In the sky there was something like the Ultron bots but much more colorful, a silver version flew next to it. Music began blaring from it, loud and ugly. She couldn’t make out the lyrics before they were gone.

She heard a noise, something hitting the ground. Peggy covered her face, expecting a bomb. Instead someone was hauling the robot off her. He had wings and goggles that hid most of his face. Peggy staggered to her feet, grabbing her gun and aiming it at him.

“The Falcon, Avenger,” he said, raising his hands in the air.

“Agent Carter,” Peggy responded and because she couldn’t resist, “Avenger.”

His eyebrows shot up from behind the goggles, but he looked impressed at the same time.

“Well then, welcome to the team.”

“Duck,” Peggy said, smirking at him.

The Falcon’s wings tucked inside of his backpack and he fell to the ground, tucked up into a ball. Peggy fired three shots into the Ultron’s head. She was shocked when it collapsed to the ground. She had been under the impression that bullets wouldn’t work. The shots surprised Dugan and he looked over at them. He gave a thumb up as he popped the head off another Ultron.

The Falcon stood up and nodded at her. “You’re friends with Cap?”

“Yes,” Peggy said as she turned away from him and threw herself into the battle again.

The Falcon seemed much more energetic than anyone else and it gave them an edge against the Ultrons on this street. Soon they were able to move a few blocks closer to the center of the city.

Despite the blood pouring down his head, Falcon talked to Peggy and Dugan the entire time. He gave them updates from others and simply asked about the weather and how things were going so soon after the war. Either Peggy or Dugan would respond with short sentences or grunts. The Falcon portrayed it as if it was a winning battle. Peggy didn’t believe him.

Even with the Avenger on their side, they weren’t holding up well. The Ultrons swarmed towards them and they barely managed to hold their ground. The wound in Peggy’s side wouldn’t stop bleeding, she had tried to tie fabric around it and then to simply ignore it, but it didn’t seem to work. Her entire jacket was stained with blood now and each movement ached.

Dugan seemed to be ready to pass out. His movements were slowed, his hat had holes, and his uniform torn apart. Falcon seemed to be in the same boat. She was certain they had been fighting for hours. The sun had crept across the sky and Peggy was furious that there had been no sight of any SSR Agent. They should have been helping, sending in troops. It’s not like they hadn’t had the time.

As Falcon fell Peggy’s heart sank. There was no way they could win this battle. Peggy fought furiously to make it towards him. She couldn’t let him die here. There was something about him that made Peggy like the man.

“Dugan,” Peggy snapped as she kicked the robot off Falcon and began trying to drag him towards one of the buildings. He turned and darted towards them, shoving robots away as he went. Together, they dragged Falcon into one of the buildings.

It was dark inside the bar. Dugan hoisted him onto one of the tables and they waited. Peggy turned towards the sink and filled a glass of water. She dumped it over the Falcon’s face. He spluttered. Peggy had absolutely no idea what had happened to him, most likely a hit over the head sent him down. After all, she had never been a nurse in the war.

He reached towards his ear and grabbed a nearly invisible ear piece out of his ear. He began wiping at it worriedly. The water had soaked it and Peggy felt bad that she had been the reason it was destroyed. She happily took a swig of the bourbon Dugan had found.

A radio softly hummed in the background. They all fell silent as Falcon messed with his earpiece. There was a pause in the programming and a newsreporter came on, stumbling over his words as he reported words Peggy would never have wanted to here. Ultron was everywhere and destroying the planet.

“We lost contact with the rest of the team,” The Falcon said.

Ultrons then burst through the bar’s doors.

Part of Peggy wished this was a dream, it would have meant Steve was dead but it would make things so much easier. People were dead and Dugan could very well be next. The three of them had fought their way out of the bar and into the freezing air.

They were going to head towards the center of the city, otherwise the Avengers would think they died. The run towards the city was quick and messy as they worked their way through the robots. Then one of them had gotten the drop on Dugan and sliced the back of his head open. He went down a hell of a lot harder than the Falcon had.

After that, the strangest thing happened. A giant, green beast tore through the streets of New York, pushing aside the Ultrons as if they were rag dolls. Peggy was shocked to say the least.

This could be the thing they needed to really turn the tide. Peggy realized that this must have been the Hulk. He grunted at the Falcon as he ran by. They quickly followed in his path, dragging Dugan behind them.


	14. Chapter 14

There was never a true victory in war, people had died and that would weigh on the survivors for the rest of their lives. The wounds would leave scars and the dead would merely be ghosts. Despite the pain only being temporary, everything burned and Peggy could barely keep her eyes open.

It had taken a number on all of them. Here they were, together in the center of New York and dying together. Or at least, they were waiting for their injuries to be properly treated. Everything had been completely evacuated which included any medical help. She supposed they could raid a hospital but none of them were in the condition to do that. There was no word on any other part of the word. None of them had bothered to turn on the radio. She hoped there had been heroes who saved the day in other cities. She was shocked no more Ultrons had shown up.

The Hulk, now shrunken down into a mild mannered man, made his rounds and slowly treated everyone. Mortia was going around as well, though he was currently stitching up the back of Dugan’s head. A whiskey bottle was passed around between the Commandos. The teams had seemed to circle up with their respective caretakers. Peggy was stuck in the middle of it, sitting on the stairs as she watched everyone get repaired. She had her fingers wrapped around her side, having lost more blood than was safe and she was oh so dizzy. But other people had been hurt more than her. They deserved the attention. Peggy would be fine. She could probably manage to stitch her own wound up if she had the materials.  Instead she waited and watched. She could easily join either of the groups if she wanted to, but she couldn’t extend the effort to move.

She watched as Steve looked up at her from where he was sitting on one of the dead Ultrons. Something had happened. Ultron had said or done something to the other Avengers that must have shaken them because none of them truly looked the same. Steve stood up, saying something to Natasha and smiling at her, before moving towards the stairs.

“Hey,” Steve breathed.

Dried blood was in his hair and his uniform was completely torn up, but Steve had already healed. She was jealous. Peggy moved her blood soaked hand to either wave or wave him off. She wasn’t sure anymore. Steve turned pale when he saw Peggy’s wound. He knelt down and put his hands over it, trying to hold it together.

“Why didn’t you get medical attention?” He softly asked.

Peggy wasn’t sure what to say. Other people had been more injured than her and Steve knew it. He froze when Peggy didn’t respond quickly enough.

“Are you okay? I’ll get Bruce,” Steve said, panicking.

“I’ll be fine, Steve,” she said before he could call anyone.

They sat like that for several minutes, Steve’s hands wrapped around Peggy’s stomach as they knelt on the cold stone steps. Finally, snow started to fall around them.

“How’d you do it, Steve?” Peggy asked. “We were out numbered. There was no way we should have won.”

His face darkened. “Tony and Wanda did something stupid. It was pure luck, honestly. I’ll tell you about it later.”

Bruce approached them after he finished stitching up a particularly nasty cut on Clint’s forehead. He eyed Peggy and her wound wearily. He knelt down and pushed Steve’s hands off.

“Can I lift the jacket up?” he asked.

She nodded. Bruce lifted both layers up and Steve held them just high enough to reveal the wound. Steve’s eyes widened at the sight of it. Honestly, Peggy had avoided looking at it. She flinched and bit down on her lip as the man began cleaning it. It stung and burned and Peggy had to close her eyes to hide the tears in them. At least when she got shot in the shoulder she was out cold for the surgery.

Steve rubbed awkward circles on her back as the needle went through her skin. She was used to stitches and she relaxed at this. It was no big deal. She opened her eyes to see Dugan there, a bottle of whiskey extended towards Peggy which she happily took a large swig of.

She watched as Bruce finished the final one and lowered her shirt.

“Any more injuries?” Bruce asked. He looked like he was about to pass out.

“Nothing to worry about,” Peggy said. “Thank you.”

There was the faint sound of sirens in the background. They must be allowing law enforcement back inside New York. Everyone slowly stood up.

“Steve, have them hide in the wine cellar at my home. It’s less than five blocks away.”

“Where are you going?” Steve sounded skeptical of the plan.

Peggy shakily stood up with her hands clinging to the railing. “I need to go check on Angie and make sure her home was evacuated.”

“Natasha,” Steve called out, “take everyone to the base and try not to make it obvious where you’re going in case you’re being followed. Commandos, it’s your choice on if you go. Peggy and I have to do something. We’ll meet up with you there.”

 

She refused to let Steve carry her, despite the long walk and her injury. They limped their way across the city, ducking behind buildings to avoid cops and SSR agents who would take credit for the victory. At one point she saw Thompson and Sousa inspecting some of the rubble.

Then she saw Angie’s little home that housed her large family. Her heart sank when she saw the front door was wide open. Perhaps they had forgotten to close it when they fled. The way Steve’s hand found hers told her it wasn’t the case.

She ran forwards, completely terrified of what she might see. There was nothing she could have done to prepare herself for what she saw.

A dead Ultron was up against the wall. At its feet were Angie and her family. Peggy fell to the ground, shocked. Ultron had found out the Martnelli’s. It had to be some sort of cruel punishment for Peggy working with the Avengers. Peggy shouldn’t have gotten involved with something she knew so little about. Angie was dead. It was Peggy’s fault.

She was faintly aware of sobbing into Steve’s chest, his arms wrapped around her. She felt like she was suffocating. Peggy wasn’t sure how long they sat inside the tiny kitchen, her hands stained with her friend’s blood. At one point she tried shaking Angie, begging for her friend to wake up. She knew this was going to happen. She had been so foolish to let Angie anywhere near her.

Carefully, Steve pried her off Angie. She wrapped her arms around him. Her cries echoed across the house. Angie had been her best friend, the first person she cared about since Steve’s death. She had been so foolish.

Steve stiffened, which caused Peggy to look up. Two little children stood at the top of the stairs, watching Peggy. She composed herself, wiping the tears off her face. She didn’t trust herself to speak, thankful when Steve did.

“Do you know them?” he asked.

It was a boy and a girl, both under the age of fifteen. Their heads nodded at the same time. They were Angie’s twin siblings, her mother’s final children. The girl’s brown hair curled around her shoulders and the boy’s hair stood up in all directions.

Peggy desperately clung onto Steve’s hand. She wouldn’t cry in front of the children. Distantly, she heard sirens in the background. They needed to leave. The Avengers were most likely fugitives now. If Steve was caught, he’d be taken in for questioning.

“What are your names?” Steve asked.

“I’m Beatrice and this is Leonardo Martinelli,” the girl shakily said.

Steve stood up, lifting Peggy with him.

“I’m Peggy Carter, a friend of Angie’s. You mustn’t say we were here to the cops who will arrive. They’re going to take you, but you don’t need to worry. I’ll protect you and make sure everything will be okay.”

The twins seemed to recognize her name. “Angela was going to have you over for Christmas.”

Peggy nodded and so did they. Then she was staggering out the back door with Steve right behind her. They heard the cops enter the home and begin questioning the children.

Steve hoisted Peggy onto his back and took off running. She couldn’t find it in herself to reject it and start walking herself. Soon he had found some alley and set her down. He sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her.

“Wanda’s going to make everything better,” Steve promised.

She was too caught up in her own misery to think about what he just said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I totally screwed up. I'm really sorry! I had actually posted chapter 13 like a month ago, but forgot to take it out of my drafts. So I apologize for that. And thank you to Katharine for commenting on this and reminding me to post. Honestly, I don't have a good excuse. I never really forgot about this. I just wanted to edit the ending of the story but never got around to it. Oops!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER 13 IS NOW FIXED! And as my apology, please enjoy chapter 15! The final chapter will hopefully be posted before Saturday! (If not, please feel free to nag me!)   
> Also, feel free to find me on [my Tumblr](http://themundanedidit.tumblr.com/)  
> Thanks for reading!

The tears had been wiped off her face and Steve’s arm was looped around hers as they finally made their way back to her home. She was covered in Angie’s blood, though it blended it with her own. This felt like some sick dream.

The house was silent when they entered, everyone must have been hiding in the basement. Peggy straightened her spine and was completely prepared to face them. She had cried over Angie and now she was prepared to keep Angie’s siblings safe. Perhaps she’d demand Howard’s help.

“Let’s go get cleaned up,” Steve whispered urgently guiding her towards the stairs and away from the basement door.

 

After stepping out of the shower and running a towel through her hair she turned to face Steve. He stared at her, sadness in his eyes.

“What’s going to happen, Steve?” she demanded quietly.

“I can’t lie to you, but I can’t tell you, Peggy.”

She frowned at him. She grabbed a dress from her drawer and slipped it on. She watched as Steve ran a hand through his own wet hair and threw on a shirt. She took a step towards him and Steve looked so nervous.

“Tony and Wanda made a big mistake. It’s going to ruin everything.”

Peggy rested her hand against his chest, staring up at him. “Explain.”

“I don’t even really understand it, a ripple or splinter effect? Wanda promised she’d explain.”

Peggy frowned and leaned against his chest. “I don’t think the police are coming, I suppose we better let them out of the basement.”

“Or,” Steve said, grinning at her. “We could leave them down there and enjoy a quiet evening.”

 

Peggy wished she’d listened to him.

These Avengers had taken over her whole bloody kitchen. They pulled all of the dining room chairs in and were blasting some type of music. Peggy sat next to Steve, their legs tangled together as they watched the mixture of characters in the room, some drank, some were simply excited, and others slept.

Eventually the music volume was lowered and the partying seemed to stop. Of course this happened after nearly all the food in Peggy’s kitchen was gone. She would have to send Jarvis out to the store to buy her more after they left.

Then she paused. The Avengers would be going home after this to sort things out on their own end. Steve would be going with them. Peggy was technically one as well but she doubted that argument would hold up against them. But, she had nothing left in the present now. The job was a dead end, not even Sousa would allow her the best missions. Angie was dead. Howard would get along just fine without her. Besides, her family had died in the war. Nothing mattered to her in the present. The future would be amazing, she would have a purpose. She would merely explain these reasons to Steve, he would understand.

The chairs were all pulled up to the round table, the Commandos and Avengers were mashed together. Everything was silent for a moment. Apparently Steve was the one who was expected to say something. It made sense, he was directly involved with both groups.

“I guess introductions are needed,” Steve said, finally.

They went around the table, each saying their name. Along with the four Avengers she met, there was a Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, who had pieces of metal armor attached to him, James Rhodey, and the Falcon’s name was Sam Wilson. Then the Commandos introduced themselves and everyone chattered happily. Peggy and Steve seemed to be the only ones who were still worried about the Ultron problem.

“We have a week until we can get moving,” Wanda said when everyone quieted down.

Peggy wasn’t sure what they meant by get moving. But she certainly knew that meant there was enough time for Steve to take her dancing. She wasn’t going to let the time go to waste. She would use her days off for this, besides she could finally manage to avoid paperwork and coffee duty.


	16. Chapter 16

She watched in awe at the couples dancing inside the Stork Club. It was the night before New Years and everyone was eager to dance. Nobody would notice the pair of brunettes in a red dress and a black suit. He escorted her towards the dance floor and wrapped his arms around her. She never thought she could be happier.

Later on, he brought her to a far corner of the club and went down on one knee. Peggy was shocked as he slide off his dog tags with his mother’s wedding ring attached. She nodded happily, nearly forgetting about the death of her friend.  

He attached it to Peggy’s neck when she finally managed to tell him yes. She was shocked and happy, worried and scared at the same time. He was about to do something drastic, Peggy knew that much.

They danced the night away and Peggy leaned her head against his shoulder, enjoying the now.

 

 

The worst had come. Steve was standing there in a slightly mended uniform, shield attached to his back, the other Avengers were all around him. The Commandos had been shipped back overseas three days ago, allowing Peggy to have a mostly quiet time with her new team. Steve had explained him asking her and they all seemed accepting of her.

Steve woke her up that Tuesday morning and together they walked down stairs.

“I have to leave, Peggy.”

He wouldn’t look her in the eye and that was what hurt the worst.

Natasha and Wanda were the only ones in the room with them, they sat on a small couch, talking softly to each other and sipping tea. Steve wrapped his arms around her and he looked so very sad.

“Don’t forget, Peggy,” he urgently hissed into her ear. "Wanda's fixing the time lines and she's going to get rid of what brought us here."

Peggy pulled away from him, staring at him in confusion. She just managed to see Wanda approach her before everything turned red.

The last thing she heard was Steve’s apologies.

 

Agent Carter’s eyes snapped open and she shot off the bed. She frantically reached out and flipped on the lamp. She was growing tired of these frequent nightmares. She slipped on her shoes and approached the mirror. She glanced down at the calendar on her desk, Friday the 13th and Angie’s play was opening that evening. It had been poor planning, but despite the bad luck that came with the day, Angie still seemed excited about it.

She leaned forwards, grabbing a tube of mascara off her desk when something silver slipped out from under her dress. She paused, staring at the dog tags. She hadn’t bothered wearing any since the war, she had never liked the feeling of the cold metal around her neck. She looked down at the name on it and froze.

_Steven G. Rogers_

Along with that was a small ring. She had no idea where either of these came from. The dog tags had been buried under the ice with Captain Rogers. Perhaps this was some cruel prank that Howard pulled on her, but there would have been no way he would have been able to slip it on her while she was sleeping. Besides, Howard and Jarvis weren’t due back until much closer to Christmas.

There was an accented voice in her head, urging her to merely take it off and forget about it. But she couldn’t bear to. Instead she slipped it on under her dress and went downstairs to the smell of Angie’s cooking.

That morning she decided to walk to work, the snow falling down around her, dusting everything in a thin layer of fluff. She couldn’t help but feel like she was missing something. Absentmindedly, she played with the dog tags, feeling the ring around the chain. There was a hint of blue that caused Peggy to stop in the middle of the busy sidewalk. Businessmen shouldered pass her. There was the blue again and a flash of silver from one of the buildings. Peggy decided she had enough time to check on it.

She slipped inside the abandoned building and froze, her mouth dropped open. A woman with blue skin stared at her, eyes widened and her head tilted.

“Thanos wants the Time Stone,” the woman said, her voice strangely artificial and forced. Peggy couldn’t tell any sort of accent. Her hand slipped down to her purse and wrapped around her gun.

“Excuse me?” Peggy asked, surprisingly calm.

“We know what happened,” the woman’s head tilted sideways and a small smile played at her lips. “But you don’t anymore.”

The woman moved faster than Peggy could ever react. Everything went black.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the final chapter of this fic! Thank you for reading! If you want to reach me, please feel free to message me on [my Tumblr](http://themundanedidit.tumblr.com/). And if you have any questions or comments, please let me know!  
> I'll probably have the first chapter of my Steve/Bucky/Peggy fic posted by the end of the month. But, if you want to make any fic requests, please let me know!  
> Thanks again!  
> -Kat


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